"Blue Pearl – Skyspace", James Turrell
4th art project Salzburg Walk of Modern Art: James Turrell, "Blue Pearl – Skyspace" (2006) on Mönchsberg, close to the Museum of Modern Art
The American artist James Turrell created a "Blue Pearl – Skyspace" on Mönchsberg, which is 9.20 x 7.20 x 8.36 metres in size. It is a walk-in art space in the shape of an elliptical cylinder open to the sky at the top. This visible excerpt of the sky with the changing colours of light becomes an integral part of the work.
"Blue Pearl – Skyspace" is especially compelling at dusk and dawn. The natural light becomes part of the architecture and has the visual effects of a trompe l'oeil. By means of changes of the colour of the artificial light, these effects are even intensified. Turell's installation is a place that models light like a sculpture. It confronts the viewer with a powerful visual interplay between nature, architecture and technology.