Space

I have always been deeply interested in what some refer to as thin space. These are spaces where one feels closer to the divine or a spiritual reality that transcends our everyday existence. You can have a transcendent experience at the cash register of a mini mart; however, there are spaces that seem to offer an experience where you are more likely to make that elusive connection. Thin space can be experienced while on a hike — enveloped in nature, standing in front of a master work at a museum, at a concert hall or perhaps in a cathedral, temple or mosque. One of the virtuosos of thin space is the artist James Turrell, and one of his most impressive works is “Roden Crater.” It is located in northern Arizona at the site of a dormant natural volcano, which he is transforming into a sublime observatory for celestial phenomena. 

The project started in 1972 and remains unfinished but is already being considered the masterpiece of Turrell’s life-long obsession with human visual and psychological perception. When complete the project will contain 24 viewing spaces and 6 tunnels that focus your attention on the open desert skies. Far away from human-made distractions the work features numerous apertures that capture the light during the day and the star-filled skies at night. It allows one to focus on the quality of light itself and begs one to contemplate the nature of light and time within the stillness of the desert landscape. What is remarkable and surprising about these spaces, similar to the cash register at the mini mart, is they are not intended to be experienced in solitude — they provide a profound communal experience.