Building a home as a work of art is what artist James Turrell has done on the volcano Roden Crater, in Arizona, for the past 40 years. However, so far this unique project has not been completed, after completion, James Turrell intends to open the door for American tourists to visit and admire his unique artwork. .
Mount Roden Crater, where James Turrell acquired and implemented his plan
Roden Crater is an inactive volcanic cone located in San Francisco near the Painted Desert of Arizona and Grand Canyon Park. The mountain is cone-shaped with a width of 3.2 km, height of 182 m, and is 400,000 years old. The volcano and surrounding land were purchased in 1979 by photographer James Turrell in Los Angles, with the intention of turning the summit into a gigantic space art work, including a ceiling observatory deep in the mountains, where guests can view and experience the phenomenon of sky, light and sun.
Seen from above, it looks like a very unique natural astronomical observatory
Turrell is famous in the art community for its light and space styles. The Roden Crater project is Turrell's most ambitious and longest project - he has been doing it since 1972. Turrell was inspired by the great architectural works in the world to carry out the observatory. ancient observers such as Borobudur, Angkor Wat, Pagan, Machu Picchu, Mayan Egyptian pyramids, Herodium, Old Sarum, Newgrange and Maes Howe. “These positions and structures certainly affect my thinking. These thoughts will find consensus in Roden Crater, ”he said.
The road down to the underground house built by photographer James Turrell
Turrell originally expected the project to be completed in 2-3 years. But the completion date has been pushed back a number of times due to financial and construction issues that had to stop at different times. Now more than 35 years later, he has completed building only about a third of his plans. The project is not open to the public, but sometimes Turrell will invite friends and acquaintances to visit. Very few people have seen inside.
The stairs go down to the house
Erin Wright, Director of LACMA Creative Initiative, who produced a short film about the project Roden Crater spoke about her visit at this unique project.
The blocks in the house are designed to look like an astronomical observatory so that you can see the sky
"There is a space called the Sun and the Moon to view the sky, you can see images of the sun and the moon on the surface of a large basalt rock called the" shape stone, "he said. Behind the rock is a tunnel of about 274 m leading to a sky observation port. This tunnel acts as a giant refracting telescope and contains a huge lens in the middle to concentrate light.
The sun-shaped rock behind is a tunnel that leads to other rooms
Some spaces inside Roden Crater are called Skyspaces where you can observe the sunrise and sunset; The color of the sky becomes vibrant when you look at it from inside the crater, because the way Turrell designed Skyspace. If you go outside, the color of the sky will be different. Turrell intends to complete the tour for visitors to the United States, from sunset to dusk, to fully experience the effect.
The tunnel is very beautiful design
There is something in the center of the crater - an area you see at the end of the movie, called Crater Plaza, and there are four large rectangular arches surrounding the crater. These are ideas for people to lie down and observe the sky and the meteors, where you can see the curve of the sky because Turrell built an entrance gate that also looks like a belt on the mountain. fire. So he is manipulating your vision by allowing you to experience the most complete and unique view of the sky. ”
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