Yesterday I received the latest issue of Smithsonian magazine, which has a fascinating article about an artist named James Turrell who has been constructing a sort of light-sculpture (for lack of a better word) inside the rim of an old volcanic crater in Arizona. If you've ever been intrigued by ancient architectural structures like Stonehenge or the Pyramids, especially their relationships to the skies, you'll no doubt find it an interesting read. The only disappointment is that the structure is not yet completed and is not open to the public (yet).

Article link:
http://www.smithsonianmag.si.edu/smithsonian/issues03/may03/turrell.html

Full text (.PDF) http://www.smithsonianmag.si.edu/smithsonian/issues03/may03/pdf/smithsonian_may_2003_james_turrells_light_fantastic.pdf

sounds fascinating! I wish his website had a few tantalizing pictures...

some pics from hte web of the artist's other work:

http://www.mattress.org/catalogue/94/images/94.turrell.2.jpg

http://www.mattress.org/catalogue/83/images/83.turrell.1.jpg
http://www.artpapers.org/images/feature_articles/turrell 1.jpg
http://www.stroom.nl/engels/archive/illu/korexpoturrell1.jpg
http://www.muse.co.jp/~haruki/tsumari2000/turrell/turrell.html
http://www.exporevue.com/magazine/fr/turrell.html
http://www.kielder.org/art/skysp.htm

Wow, Alex--wow! How do people think to DO things like that??
'A sculptor of light and shadow'--now there's something you don't hear every day.

Alex, thanks for that. Haven't been past Kielder for some years, but now I am really looking forward to another visit! It seems there is some interesting stuff going on there, and Turrell's work in particular.

I remember reading years ago about a light sculpture museum in Corpus Christi, Texas. The concept was fascinating: working with natural patterns of light and shadow, working with sculpted forms to interact with those light and shadow patterns and ending up with something new that changed--how they modified appearances throughout the day. I wondered at the time about the problems such a museum would encounter on cloudy days.

Haven't read your links yet, Alex, but will. I wonder whether you light sculpture artist will be the same one who did the museum in Corpus Christi. I'll bet he is.

Thanks for the link to Kielder. I will, hopefully, be in Scotland this fall and I can't wait to see it.