 |
You really have to experience James Turrell's work in order to understand it. I never really thought much about the artist before encountering his work in Naoshima, Japan. I only vaguely remembered his name from one of my art history classes. He's apparently most famous for his ambitious project, Roden Crater, an open-eye observatory near Flagstaff, Arizona.
I instead got acquainted with two different artworks: Backside of the Moon and Open Field.
Minamidera
 |
| Picture of the plaque outside Minamidera |
The Benesse Art Site is quite awesome in itself, but one of the best works was no doubt Backside of the Moon. There is a bit of procedure when entering the room, but we weren't told much about what the work will actually consist of. We were first directed into a very dark room and sat on a bench while "looking" at what lies in front of us. I think we had to sit for maybe 8 minutes before our eyes adjusted to the very faint light source.
Once our eyes adjusted, we were allowed to walk around, and towards the source. It was a strange rectangular "hole" in the wall. I put my head out, like looking out a window, and it felt like falling into nothingness... but this nothingness was a hazy, misty, dim light (which complements the black-nothingness we were first introduced to when walking in the dark.)
It was cool. A bit creepy. And rather meditative.
 |
| Outside of Minamidera |
Chichu Art Museum
Next up was the Chichu Art Museum. A little bit on the pricey side, but really worth it. As much as I loved Turrell's Open Field, I have to admit that the best part of the museum was the building itself (designed by architect Tadao Ando). It was SO COOL! Such a weird conception of space, and I loved the open-air concept.
But back on the subject of Open Field... Once again, I thought it was a bit of a "creepy" experience, but this time, it felt like I was in some strange lab experiment. We first walked into a clean white room and were directed to the black steps. We all walked up and went into the blue-ish room. It was a bit like walking into an abstract painting!
The room was more like white-blue. The guide, who was dressed in white, even disappeared in the background, lol. It was cool. Less meditative than Backside of the Moon, but still thought-provoking nonetheless.
If I were to describe these two works, I'd summarize them as interactive, real-life Rothko paintings. I personally love Rothko so this is a good thing for me... but I just got that vibe when experiencing Turrell's works.
Minamidera and the Chichu Art Museum are located on the island of Naoshima, Kagawa-ken, Japan. I visited these sites on October 16th, 2011.
No comments:
Post a Comment