James Turrell: 'Within Without'

Description

James Turrell's Skyspace, Within without is site-specific, its location chosen by the artist to complement and accord with the Australian Garden on the southern perimeter of the grounds of the National Gallery of Australia. Because the structure is partly subterannian, only a small part of the stupa is visible from outside. Not only does this establish the sculpture as an integral part of the landscape, its placement also muffles extraneous sounds and reduces light polution. By descending the walkway with water on both sides, you enter the stupa, the Skyspace proper. Once inside, you find yourself within a circular, whitewashed space, sparsely furnished with a bench around the edge. Look up. An oculus is set into the roof, framing the sky. The moonstone-a circular piece of Brazilian marble set into the floor-echoes the aperture above. This inner sanctum is austere, even temple-like. At dawn and at dusk a light-cycle unfolds. During the day, changes in weather and the shift of seasons ensure that the experience is never static and, as time passes, the sky forms new and surprising shapes within the aperture. Sometimes it appears convex, then concave; at other times the sky floats like a luminous blue ball. This publication includes images of the Skyspace from both inside and out, a series of the light-cycle and a visual development of the five and a half year construction process.