James Turrell: House Of Light

The House of Light was created at the first Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale (2000) as a work of James Turrell, a light artist.
He came up with the idea of ​​fusing the intimate light of a traditional Japanese house with the work of light he had created.
It was conceived of as a guesthouse for meditation. Turrell discovered this concept in Junichiro Tanizaki's "In Praise of Shadows."

Fascinated by light from childhood, artist James Turrell’s works have consistently explored the relationship between light and perception. Reflecting the silent meditation of his upbringing in a Quaker family, Turrell’s works reveal “even in a dream with our eyes closed, we see light”.
Born in Los Angeles, Turrell’s studies in Perceptual Psychology and Fine Art provided the ideal grounding for his passion for working with light. In 1967, he held his first solo exhibition at the Pasadena Art Museum. Projection Pieces, with its light-projected, geometric shapes was “an epiphany for me, when I could actually get light to exist in the space, so you didn't think it was on the wall, but you felt it occupied the space.”
Informed by his passions for philosophy, science and flight, Turrell’s work over series such as Ganzfelds and Dark Spaces, explores and plays with our understanding of what and how we see. 102 Skyspaces, with openings to the sky, give audiences globally the chance to contemplate the beauty of shifting nature of light.
The apex of Turrell’s creativity is Roden Crater; an extinct volcano in northern Arizona, now the site of one of the world’s most ambitious artwork. Started in 1979 it is the location of a series of chambers and tunnels due to be completed by 2026.