James Turrell's Subterranean Skyspace: An Immersive Art Experience That 'Holds the Sky Close'

American artist James Turrell has unveiled As Seen Below, a monumental 40-metre-wide Skyspace at the ARoS Aarhus Art Museum in Aarhus, Denmark. This immersive subterranean dome, created in collaboration with Danish studio Schmidt Hammer Lassen, is designed to transform the act of looking into the artwork itself.

A Dome of Light and Sky

The installation features a six-metre-wide central aperture at the dome's apex, framing ever-changing views of the sky above. Inside, the space is bathed in monochromatic colours, creating a meditative environment where light becomes a tangible substance. As Turrell explains, "The architecture holds the sky close, so you recognize that the act of looking is the work itself."

Architectural Integration

As Seen Below is the centrepiece of the museum's 4,000-square-metre expansion. The structure emerges from the park as a grass-covered mound, with an arched concrete entrance leading into the 16-metre-tall dome. The interior features raw concrete and brick paving, with stepped seating wrapping around the expansive space. A 100-square-metre operable lid can close the oculus, doubling as a lighting system.

The Journey

Visitors approach through a subterranean concrete corridor that transitions from light to darkness, building anticipation. The corridor's horizontal movement contrasts with the museum's verticality, preparing visitors for the sensory experience within the dome.

Turrell's 100th Skyspace

This is Turrell's 100th Skyspace installation and his most ambitious yet. It joins his renowned works worldwide, including a transcendent Skyspace in Colorado and an illuminated skylight in New York.

Photography by Adam Mørk.