A skyspace is an

architectural design Building design refers to the broadly based architectural, engineering and technical applications to the design of buildings. All building projects require the services of a building designer, typically a licensed architect. Smaller, less complica ...

in which a room, which is painted in a

neutral color Neutral or neutrality may refer to: Mathematics and natural science Biology * Neutral organisms, in ecology, those that obey the unified neutral theory of biodiversity Chemistry and physics * Neutralization (chemistry), a chemical reaction i ...

has a large hole in its ceiling which opens directly to the sky. The room, whose perimeter has benches, allows observers to look at the sky in such a way as though it were framed. LED lights which surround the hole can change colors to affect the viewer's perception of the sky. The design is the work of American artist

James Turrell James Turrell (born May 6, 1943) is an American artist known for his work within the Light and Space movement. Much of Turrell's career has been devoted to a still-unfinished work, '' Roden Crater'', a natural cinder cone crater located outsi ...

. As of 2013 over 82 skyspaces have been installed worldwide. Examples include ''

Dividing the Light ''Dividing the Light'', colloquially the Pomona College skyspace, is a 2007 skyspace art installation by James Turrell at Pomona College, his alma mater. It consists of a courtyard with a fountain nestled between two academic buildings with an ...

'' at

Pomona College Pomona College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It was established in 1887 by a group of Congregationalists who wanted to recreate a "college of the New England type" in Southern California. In 1925, it beca ...

, the

Skyspace Lech The Skyspace Lech is a walk-in art installation by James Turrell in Tannegg/ Oberlech in Vorarlberg (Austria). In 2014, James Turrell conceptualised the ''Skyspace Lech'' design specifically for this location to make the skyspace integrate itsel ...

Vorarlberg Vorarlberg ( , ; gsw, label= Vorarlbergisch, Vorarlbearg, , or ) is the westernmost state () of Austria. It has the second-smallest geographical area after Vienna and, although it also has the second-smallest population, it is the state with the ...

(

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

), the

Live Oak Friends Meeting Live Oak Friends Meeting House is a Quaker meeting house located at 1318 West 26th Street in the Heights area of Houston, Texas, United States. The meeting house, which was completed in December 2000, was designed and built to house the Live Oa ...

in Houston, Texas and at

Rice University William Marsh Rice University (Rice University) is a private research university in Houston, Texas. It is on a 300-acre campus near the Houston Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. Rice is ranked among the top universit ...

, also in Houston.

Photo gallery

File:Skyspace.JPG, Skyspace in

Kielder Forest Kielder Forest is a large forestry plantation in Northumberland, England, surrounding Kielder village and the Kielder Water reservoir. It is the largest man-made woodland in England with three-quarters of its covered by forest. The majority ...

, Northumberland,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

File:Skyspace - geograph.org.uk - 743333.jpg, Skyspace in

, Northumberland,

File:Skyspace - geograph.org.uk - 743321.jpg, Skyspace in

, Northumberland,

File:Pomona College Skyspace 01.jpg,

, Pomona College,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

, US File:Lech Skyspace.jpg,

File:Lech-SKYSPACE-James Turell-dome-hole-17MSA.jpg, Cloudy sky at the

References

External links

"Skyspace: Dividing the Light" (2007)JamesTurrell.com Skyspace section: includes photographs and locations of Turrell Skyspaces around the world
Architectural design Works by James Turrell {{architecture-stub