Opening today at the corner of Halsted and Roosevelt is a Skyspace by James Turrell. The piece is an observatory - a thirty foot high elliptical chamber designed for viewing the sky.
Edward Lifson at Chicago Public Radio says, "Go inside and look up to see a colorful, flattened interplay of space, clouds, and light". The goal is to create a serene, meditative space. Turrell has done others; this is his fifteenth and the only freestanding structure of its kind in the midwest.
Commissioned by the University of Illinois for their Gateway Plaza, this Skyspace is the most publicly accessible, as it is open to everyone at all times in such a densely populated urban setting. The project is opening about 18 months behind schedule and we are so happy it's finally here.
It's on the list for this weekend!
The top photo is of a skyspace at the Henry Art Gallery in Seattle. The drawing below is from the plans for the UIC Gateway Plaza at Halsted and Roosevelt.
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
will definitely be checking that out this weekend! thanks!
Haha, I just moved in a few blocks away from there. We have watched it being built and wondered what the hell that ugly thing was. Its painted particle board with weird neon lights on top. Like a nuclear mushroom.