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James Turrell. Light Reign, 2003

Seattle, Washington, USA

The highly anticipated James Turrell Skyspace, called Light Reign, debuted to stellar reviews at the Henry Art Gallery in July 2003. Renown for his remarkable use of light and space in works of art, Turrell combined architecture, sculpture, and atmosphere to create this unique addition to the museum’s permanent collection. Once night falls, visitors to the Skyspace are dazzled by its luminous, color-shifting exterior, which applies the intelligent LED illumination technology of Color Kinetics.

The Skyspace is a freestanding enclosed chamber in which visitors can view the sky and atmospheric changes through an elliptical opening overhead. The chamber is designed to accommodate 15 people and is meticulously constructed to heighten one’s sense of sight and perception. The Skyspace is unique in its combination of two aspects of Turrell's work: skyspace and exterior architectural illumination, the latter of which incorporates approximately 700 feet of Color Kinetics’ iColor® Cove LT to softly illuminate the 18-foot-high glass panels from within.

The inherently intelligent nature of the LED-based lighting system allows its sophisticated control for a gradual, color-morphing light show – creating an extraordinary display of architectural lighting within the museum’s sculpture garden.