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Artist James Turrell
Listen to Susan Stamberg's report on Morning Edition.
View our Turrell picture gallery.
James Turrell and Susan Stamberg
in the bowl of Roden Crater
Photo by Cindy Carpien |
In the Northern Arizona desert, artist James Turrell is turning an extinct
volcano into a work of art, maybe the biggest piece of artwork in the world. Turrell bought the volcano in the 1970s. Since then he's spent some $10 million (mostly arts foundation funding) digging tunnels, trenches, chambers, and punching out apertures to create a massive naked-eye observatory.
Turrell's obsession is light. He creates artworks, earthworks, and
rooms in which light can be observed in new ways. With Roden Crater, an extinct cinder cone volcano in Arizona, he is working to change our perceptions of light, and help us observe ourselves, seeing. His tunnels, and circular holes create optical illusions, and can seem to bring the sky down so close viewers feel they can touch it.
Considered a major artist of our times, Turrell has created light works
all over the world. The National Gallery of Art in Washington recently purchased four early Turrells. But Roden Crater is his most ambitious
(and expensive) project. And the 57-year old artist has years of work ahead
of him, before the volcano piece is finished.
The Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art is exhibiting several of
James Turrell's light works, including drawings, photographs and videos of
Roden Crater.
For more information go to:
www.scottsdalearts.org
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