You have to make a
reservation before you can enjoy this amazing light show by James Turrell, we
went there at 11 in the morning, it was bright outside, but when we step into
the side of the Resnick Pavilion, where this exhibition is located, it is all
dark inside without any thing that stand out. Then, the staff asks for our name
and said that the exhibition should be ready in 10 minutes. The waiting area
was surrounded by black walls, with only a short description of the exhibition
that says the below:
Of course we have done
some research about this exhibition prior from entering it, 10 minutes has
passed and we were ushers into the changing area. First we have to change our
shoes into disposable shoe covers, and then we started to go up stairs. The
staff reminded us that there are no pictures allowed, and we cannot sit on the
floor, touch the walls and try to remain five feet away from the walls. Once we
went inside, an amazing journey started.
The first thing we notice
when we enter the room was how the walls were spotless and blank painted white,
so that it would take on any color shined upon it. The room was lighted by a
single color and slowly changed from one hue to another. Directly in front was
an opening that looked foggy and reflected the same color. When walking towards
the ledge it felt as though the distance in front of you was endless and the
drop in front of you was also endless. The room made the viewer felt like they
were in the artwork itself and could place themselves in the ever changing
scenes projected by the color.
http://www.lacma.org/sites/default/files/styles/Exhibition_Main/public/image/BreathingLight.jpg?itok=ipM-xqCJ
The color that was being
projected saturated the whole room and allowed the viewer to paint their own
picture of what the color meant to them. For me the dark blues made the room
feel like being lost in the ocean while the bright red evoked feelings of
warmth and anger. At times two different colors were projected making it feel
as though we were looking at a sun set, a sun rise, or just looking at the
endless range of colors spanning from one room to another. The room reminded me
of sensory deprivation chambers where people were placed in there to lose sight
of reality. The artist utilized this idea to fill and surround the viewer with
an idea rather than just viewing a painting straight on. The room itself was an
illusion and the viewer's brain would project ideas that were not there. What i
found out was that the smallest imperfection in the room would ruin the
illusion and the saturation of the artwork because any imperfections would pull
the viewer back into reality making them realize the room is not so vast and
endless.
This whole experience is
linked to the lectures about shifting paradigms and our perspectives; it is
also related to how neuroscience that dictates our perception of color can
affect how we relate colors to different emotions and induce memories. Here the
perception of color can be manipulated so we felt that we are in a different
space continuum, we even lost our sense of depth and reality, and all prove
that art and science are really an inextricable experience that we will not be
able to feel in our normal life. Thank you Professor Vesna for recommending
this exhibition, it was truly an eye opening experience for me.
(Since photos are not allowed inside, and the staff were not willing to take photos with me, I can only take a picture with the sign)
Reference
"FEATURE: Artist James Turrell Creates Intense Sensory Experiences." The Flame, 1 Dec. 2013. Web. 6 June 2015.
"James Turrell, Breathing Light." Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Web. 6 June 2015.
Knight, Christopher. "Art Review: The Light through James Turrell's Eyes." Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2013. Web. 6 June 2015.
Painter, Alysia Gray. ""Breathing Light" Enjoys Longer LACMA Run." NBC Southern California, 20 Aug. 2014. Web. 6 June 2015.
Schweitzer, Dahlia. "Inside the Light: James Turrell in LA." Hyperallergic RSS, 1 July 2013. Web. 6 June 2015.
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