The Skywheel Project is certainly an epic work of art-in-progress. For all of us devoted to its completion, it’s a mountain we climb as pilgrims, step by step. As we go along this long trail, we remember and are inspired by other artists and visionaries who are also making monumental works.
The work and dedication of James Turrell has been inspiring Steve and I for years, long before the Skywheel Project. His “skyspaces” are chambers of holy interaction between the Earth and the Sky. His minimalist manipulations of light and space create powerful spiritual sanctuaries where the elemental and the infinite can be expressed and contemplated – all without words or metaphor.
In contrast, within the Skywheel satellite, we seek to house a collective body of text that describes our planet’s attempts to put humanity’s contemplation of the sacred in writing. But, like Turrell, we hope to expose these beautiful verses, prayers, and devotions as metaphor, symbols of all the spiritual perspectives on Earth, all pointing to the same thing -- a direct experience of that which is greater than ourselves: the divine, which is always beyond words.
Turrell’s life work is a series of skyspaces contained in the Roden Crater, near Flagstaff, Arizona. He has been designing, carving and shaping this space for the last 35 years, creating one of the largest works of art in history. And he’ll get there, one step at a time.
So will we.
Read more about James Terrell’s work here:
http://www.arttimesjournal.com/art/reviews/Oct'06%20James%20Turrell/James%20Turrell%20Oct%20'06.htm
I watched a video of Turrell giving a tour, per say, of the crater. I don't even know what to call this form of art. I've only seen contemporary art pieces by Turrell and well this project is like a walk though life changing experience form of art. I can't wait for it to be finished.
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