Tremenheere Director Neil Armstrong recently travelled to Aarhus, Denmark, to attend the world premiere of As Seen Below – The Dome, James Turrell’s newest and most ambitious Skyspace installation to date.
Created for ARoS Aarhus Art Museum, the monumental work invites visitors into a carefully designed architectural space where light, colour and the sky become the artwork itself. At the premiere, shifting fields of coloured light transformed the dome’s interior while a live orchestral performance heightened the sense of immersion, creating an experience that was both contemplative and awe-inspiring.
For more than five decades, Turrell has explored the relationship between light and perception, challenging audiences to reconsider how they see and experience the world around them. Rather than presenting an object to look at, his works encourage a heightened awareness of seeing itself.
Visitors to Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens may be familiar with Turrell’s approach through Tewlwolow Kernow his Skyspace overlooking Mount’s Bay. Like many of his works, it offers a place for stillness, observation and reflection, where subtle changes in light and atmosphere become the focus of attention.
Reflecting on the premiere, Neil described the experience as a powerful reminder of Turrell’s ability to transform perception through light, colour and space. Witnessing the new Skyspace alongside a live orchestral performance revealed the continuing ambition and relevance of Turrell’s practice and its capacity to create moments of wonder and connection.
To learn more about James Turrell’s thinking on light, perception and the act of looking, read our recent blog, James Turrell on Light, Perception and Looking.
