Sky Spaces - James Turrell And His Roden Crate

Sky Spaces - James Turrell And His Roden Crate

In the Arizona desert, not far from the Grand Canyon lies the Roden Crater. This is the crater of a volcano that has been extinct for millennia. It was once the homeland of the Navajo and is now a work of art. James Turrell, an artist of light, perception and spaces, has been working for more than twenty years on this his most ambitious project - the largest work of art in the world. Here Turrell wants to reveal to the observer, from completely new perspectives in the pathways and spaces of his crater, the light of the sun, moon and stars. It will evoke associations reminiscent of the power of thepyramids, the monumental artworks of the Maya or, Stonehenge. This crater is an audacious dream and at the same time a work for which the artist has had to overcome numerous very real hurdles. The opening has been postponed once more and is now set for 2003. Like no other work in his portfolio, the Roden Crater gives us a deep insight into the creativity of James Turrell, who is bringing his opus to completion with the crazed persistence of a man obsessed. We meet a charismatic artist at his work, we fly with him over the huge crater (Turrell is an enthusiastic amateur pilot), we land on the Roden, visit Turrell on his ranch and in his studio. We explore the tunnels and spaces of the crater and lie on our backs, to experience the sky up close and precisely framed by the circular form of the crater's edge.

30'