Tending, (Blue)

Tending, (Blue) in Dallas, Texas by James Turrell and Interloop A/D

At the northern end of the Nasher Sculpture Center's garden sits a rough, granite-clad cube and a deep portal, each set within terraced rows of alternating flowers and bushes. Frosted glass doors recessed within the portal veil a soft glow of artificial light within. Once through the doors, a curved vestibule space leads the visitor towards the cube's interior, through another set of frosted glass doors. Smooth limestone benches line the perimeter, their sloped backs accommodating the artworks raison d'etre: a square, "knife-edge" cut-out in the roof open to the sky above. This description of Tending, (Blue) accurately conveys the movement and physical make-up of the artwork, though it doesn't come close to capturing the actual experience of a simple, yet rich and highly rewarding experience.

The product of artist James Turrell and architect Interloop A/D, Tending, (Blue) fits into Turrell's series of "skyspaces" that he started in the 1970s. He almost perfected these artworks from the beginning - varying the shape of the apertures on occassion - each installation since then featuring an enclosed room, roof opening, and benches. The Nasher's skyspace is special as it also includes the aforementioned entry vestibule, its curved plaster wall softly glowing with slowly-changing colors of light via recessed fixtures. Strips of plexiglass radiate white light to define the two openings on each side of the curved wall. This space illustrates Turrell's masterful use of artificial light for effect, subtle during the day but powerful when dark. As we'll see, Tending, (Blue) is a complex synthesis of artificial and natural light.

The power of Turrell's skyspaces lie in their framing, an act that changes our perception by excluding everything but the sky. Colors are richer and deeper. Clouds are more defined. Planes and birds are unexpected and fleeting. During the day light moves across the walls like a sundial, while towards sunset the clouds recede and the sky rapidly intensifies its blueness. Around this time, the effects of the artificial lights recessed behind the benches that bathe the walls become more pronounced, ranging from green to pink. The effect aspires for the meditative, though often the fellow visitors are a curious distraction.

Though Turrell is well-known for these skyspaces and other light-based installations, Roden Crater - "an extinct volcano the artist has been transforming into a celestial observatory" - is the (ongoing) culmination of his obsession with light and will be his lasting contribution. Tending, (Blue) offers a more easily accessible destination in Dallas's Arts District as well as the delights of the Nasher, a marvelous creation with a travertine and glass building by Renzo Piano and sculpture garden by Peter Walker.