April 9, 2001

8:07 PM

Roden Crateris an extinct volcano in Arizona and doubles as a $7M land art project by James Turrell. I look forward to visiting the site on my next trip to the Southwest.
"If you're not an optimist, forget being an artist," Mr. Turrell said. "I've been lucky. I never felt any entitlement. I'd hoped interest in this work would get going sooner because it wasn't meant to occupy my whole career." The sun was going down and the sky was red and purple. "But that's fine. I have nothing better to do."
posted by gen (2 comments total)

Check out the August 2000 issue of Metropolis for another article about this project.

The ideas are somewhat fascinating though hard to imagine. Turrell is certainly kooky. He also has an unhappy client in his past who didn't take too well to the light pieces that were commission for his home. "Too disorienting."
posted by amanda at 10:13 PM on April 9, 2001

Thanks for the link, gen. I live about 80 miles by car from the Crater, and I look forward to being there when it opens. I've been following Turrell since his exhibit at the Whitney in NYC in 1980, and his work blew me away. Light becomes "physical" and the links with archaeoastronomy and sacred space in a natural setting resonate strongly. In a way, this site picks up where Chaco Canyon (about 8 hours by car from Roden) and other sites left off.
posted by aflakete at 10:32 PM on April 9, 2001