Off of Route 2, in the sleepy town of North Adams, Massachusetts, MASS MoCA is currently exhibiting Into the Light, a James Turrell retrospective bringing together light installations from every stage of the 74-year-old artist’ five-decade career.
Once Around, Violet (Shallow Space), 1971. Collection of Tallulah Anderson. © James Turrell, Photo by Florian Holzherr
Using his background in psychology and mathematics, and years of knowledge, exploring and manipulating the ways people’s eyes and brains process light and space, he reigns as a Master Welder of Illusion.
The relationship between perception, light and time is intimately explored in his installations. For some, the absence of physical art such as paintings or sculpture in his work, begs the question of whether it can really be considered as an art form. Turrell has often acknowledged this disconnect in contemporary art between the audience and the artist; “Generally, audiences are looking towards what they like, and I can tell you, that’s the last thing on an artist’s mind… I don’t know if I believe in art. I certainly believe in light.”
A Turrell trick of the eye remains far more scientific than the surreal calming meditations his spaces might suggest.
There are nine Turrell rooms to experience in the expanded exhibition space of MASS MoCA’s newly opened, Building 6. Perfectly Clear (Ganzfeld), a two-story installation, is hands-down, the centerpiece of the retrospective.
Perfectly Clear (Ganzfeld), 1991. Gift of Jennifer Turrell. © James Turrell. Photo by Florian Holzherr
Early in his career, Turrell conducted experiments based on the Ganzfeld effect, (from German, for “complete field”) where the viewer experiences a loss of depth perception caused by exposure to an unstructured, uniform field lacking aural or visual stimulation, as in a whiteout. To date, Perfectly Clear is his largest Ganzfeld room by volume.
Upon entering the room, you are given paper booties to wear. Attendants escort you up a flight of stairs to a massive opening with curved walls. You step into a white void gradually filled with light and changing colors. It quickly becomes difficult to discern where the walls begin and the ceiling ends, creating a feeling of walking toward what seems a mesmerizing endless expanse.
A Turrell trick of the eye remains far more scientific than the surreal calming meditations his spaces might suggest.
Right: Afrum (Projection), 1967. Collection of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. © James Turrell, Photo by Florian Holzherr // Left: Raethro II, Magenta (Corner Shallow Space), 1970. Collection of Myffanwy Anderson. © James Turrell, Photo by Florian Holzherr
The sensory deprivation experiment Hind Sight (Dark Space) 1984, guides the viewer through a dark corridor with the help of handrails into an even darker chamber. Devoid of any visual stimuli, it’s all at once disorienting. Once seated, (yes, those handrails lead to seats), the viewer spends 10 to 15 minutes waiting for their pupils to fully dilate, at which point they begin to notice the faint presence of a dim light. The space is not about what one is supposed to see but the experience of what Turrell describes as “seeing yourself see”.
Afrum, 1967, a projection on loan from the Guggenheim, is one of Turrell’s earliest works on view. The piece uses light as a sculptural medium. Light is projected from a corner of the room near the ceiling, casting a shape on the opposite side of the room, as a white cube seems to float in the corner of the room.
Into the Light, will remain on long-term view at MASS MoCA. Making reservations for timed entry into Perfectly Clear, and Hindsight through the museum’s website is highly recommended. ■
