Berlin – Festival of Lights from Konstantin Alemasov on Vimeo.

James Turrell · The Wolfsburg Project (English subtitles)

The primary medium of Californian artist James Turrell is light. Probably the best-known artist in his field, Turrell’s entire oeuvre since the 1960s has been devoted to exploring the diverse manifestations of this immaterial medium and working towards a new, space-defining form of light art. While light here refers to nothing beyond itself, it causes surface, colour and space to interact and allows viewers to immerse themselves in a mysterious, painterly world. Occupying a central place in James Turrell’s oeuvre is the Roden Crater, an extinct volcano in the Arizona desert which the artist has been transforming into an observatory since 1974. Building upon the cosmic aspects of this quiet, meditative place, Turrell is creating the worldwide largest museum installation he has made to date at the Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg, producing a light-filled space of experience in the tradition of his Ganzfeld Pieces. Making full use of the adaptable architecture system of the Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg – unique within the German museum landscape – his installation will be an exploration of space and light: immaterial and material at once. The timelessness and fascination of James Turrell’s works derives from his incredible skill at capturing fleeting light and giving it the visual presence and tactile density of a physical body.

Our experience of light comes from nature. Daylight and sunlight, in their various qualities provide the background to our conceptual understanding. This approach is rarely transformed into dramatic lighting designs. Using the case study of the New Waterside Theatre, Aylesbury, UK, the use of lighting in trees as a guide to lighting a building will be demonstrated. Also the play of natural light within gothic cathedrals will be explored and analyzed as a source of inspiration for cathedral lighting. Detailed use of photographs, sketches and examples will be made to draw the attendee into this important realm of inspiration.

There were four learning objectives for the presentation:

1. Learn how to look for inspiration outside of the normal experience and look beyond what you see to what you experience.

2. Learn how to visualize designs in terms of conceptual ideas. In creating great lighting design it is important to understand the necessity of this conceptual approach. The technical process of identifying the equipment to implement the design can come later. First it is necessary to understanding what is to be achieved, visually, and why. Attendees will learn how to provide metaphors for their work that will reveal their inspiration clearly to clients.

3. The influence of codes and standards tends to create a level of uniformity that veers towards blandness. Learn how to bring drama and contrast to designs. Natural light continually provides interest and variety through its dynamic range and movement. Attendees will learn how to harness this dynamism and fire up their own creative work with it. Codes and standards will be applied later but first passion is needed.

4. How to take risks while giving the client certainty on the effect of the end result. Ultimately all design work is created for end clients, who need to understand and approve what is proposed. Learn how to explain designs to the clients in a way that transmits the dynamism and passion behind them.

In the first board we see both the effect of shafts of light in trees and the effect of dappled light, the light hitting the leaves. On the right is shown the crisp effect of sunlight washing a building wall, leaving other walls in darkness. The contrast is essential in viewing form in buildings.

The dappled effect is modelled in the theatre foyer by the uses of hundreds of etched glass pendant fittings. They are arranged randomly in the space but such that a sense of flow is created up the staircases and from the central void to the theatre entrances.

In the auditorium the image of shafts of light is re-created using narrow beams of light.