James Turrell’s Skyspace: Monumental As Seen Below
As Seen Below – The Dome at the ARoS Aarhus Art Museum in Denmark opened as an immersive experience on June 19, 2026. Here, light, architecture, and perception merge. This monumental installation by James Turrell is a Skyspace—a work that transforms the sky into living matter and invites every visitor to experience light as a tangible, almost physical presence. In a world in constant motion, this is a place created for slowing down and contemplation.
James Turrell and Skyspace
- What Is a James Turrell Skyspace?
- Skyspace As Seen Below — The Dome — in Aarhus, Denmark
- When is the best time to visit the Skyspace?
- How Do You Enter the Skyspace As Seen Below?
- How does the LED lighting work in James Turrell’s Skyspace?
- Who is the architect from Schmidt Hammer Lassen behind the installation at ARoS?
- Who Is James Turrell and What Is His Artistic Journey?
- Practical Information for Visiting ARoS Aarhus Art Museum
- Opening Hours
- Which Nearby Hotels Offer Immersive Experiences?
- How to Get to ARoS Aarhus Art Museum
- FAQ
- Lesson more (in French)
- Commentaires
What Is a James Turrell Skyspace?
A Skyspace is a perceptual structure that frames the sky as a living artwork. James Turrell began developing this concept in the 1970s in the United States, notably with Mendota Hotel Stoppages in California. He transformed an opening to the sky into a carefully controlled artistic device.
Each Skyspace is built around an enclosed room pierced by a perfectly calibrated oculus. Depending on the surrounding light, this circular, oval, or square opening shifts the way the sky is perceived.
« I don’t work with light to shape light.
I work with light to shape how we perceive. »
James Turrell, artiste
Enhanced by artificial light, these openings to the outside invite viewers to observe the natural variations of color in the sky. The sky becomes an unpredictable, emotional pictorial surface.
Today, these spaces exist in more than 26 countries around the world. The permanent installation As Seen Below at the ARoS Art Museum is James Turrell’s 100th Skyspace.
Skyspace As Seen Below — The Dome — in Aarhus, Denmark
As Seen Below is James Turrell’s most ambitious Skyspace ever created in a museum. Set beneath a monumental dome, it redefines the scale and intensity of perceptual experience. The installation is conceived as a fully immersive environment, blending architecture, light, and time.
Main dimensions of the installation
- Height: 16 meters
- Diameter: 40 meters
- Surface area: approximately 1,200 m²
- Number of light fixtures: approximately 1,100 light sources
- Weight of the movable oculus system: approximately 19 tons
Carefully sanded, smoothed, and painted in ultra-reflective white, the interior eliminates almost all sense of depth. The eye seems to drift across a continuous luminous surface. The effect evokes the Pantheon in Rome, reimagined through a contemporary aesthetic.
When is the best time to visit the Skyspace?
The best time to visit the Skyspace is at dawn or dusk, when natural light tips gently into darkness. This transition heightens the perceptual effects and creates a deeply moving emotional experience. The Twilight sessions are designed to capture precisely these fragile moments between day and night.
From sunrise to sunset, artificial light enters into a quiet dialogue with the sky’s natural shifts. Visitors may perceive colors that feel lingering, elusive, almost unreal.
« I can change the sky to any colour you want. »
James Turrell, artist
During the day, the Open Sky mode remains striking, though more meditative in character. At night, the Colour Shift mode transforms the entire space into an abstract field of light. Each moment reveals a different emotional reading of the work.
How Do You Enter the Skyspace As Seen Below?
To enter the Skyspace As Seen Below – The Dome, visitors are invited to follow a circular underground gallery. The wall on the right tilts slightly, at about 20 degrees, while the vertical wall on the left is made of board-formed concrete. The first is fitted with a luminous cornice set into the floor, guiding visitors with a shifting glow that moves from pink to red. It casts a soft, indirect wash of colored light across the white ceiling.
Upon arriving in the central space of James Turrell’s Skyspace, a powerful sensation of being immersed in colored light emerges. At the top of the dome is a circular colored disc that emits indirect tinted light.
When the Skyspace’s opening is closed, I truly feel as though I have been born inside the color of light itself. The illumination shifts from red to blue, passing through magenta and cyan.
When the roof oculus opens, it reveals the blue sky and drifting clouds. The space then opens to the surrounding natural world. The brightness inside increases, and the colored light becomes much less present—except during a visit at twilight, at either sunrise or sunset, depending on the season in Denmark.
How does the LED lighting work in James Turrell’s Skyspace?
Lighting layout in the dome
Lighting completely shapes the perceptual and spatial experience of the dome. To me, it does not simply reveal the space itself; it becomes an architectural material in its own right. It feels like a three-dimensional volume in constant transformation, animated by the subtle and masterful interplay of light and color.
Here, the lighting is arranged in five rings of LED illumination:
- A curved guidance line made of LED strip lighting beneath the peripheral bench
- A ring of LED spotlights integrated into the niches of the peripheral bench
- A second ring of LED spotlights integrated into the cornice at the base of the dome
- A third ring of LED spotlights integrated into the central floor around the black marble disc
- A fourth ring of LED spotlights installed beneath the roof around the oculus
This layout allows for precise control of lighting uniformity and chromatic variation.
LED color mixing and number of fixtures
Given James Turrell’s earlier works, his exacting standards for color quality, and the opening video on the architecture firm’s website just below, I believe an RGBAW LED color-mixing system—red, green, blue, amber, and white—is used in the Skyspace As Seen Below in Aarhus.
According to The New York Times article published on June 19, 2026, the permanent installation includes 1,100 lighting fixtures and took 12 years to come to life, largely because of the many approvals required.
Who is the architect from Schmidt Hammer Lassen behind the installation at ARoS?
James Turrell’s permanent Skyspace installation is embedded within ARoS’s underground The Next Level expansion. It forms the heart of the project, developed in collaboration with the architects at Schmidt Hammer Lassen. The architecture and the artwork were conceived side by side with the artist over the course of twelve years.
Like a contemporary burial mound, the dome is tucked into the city’s landscape. This approach deepens the introspective quality of the journey. Reversing the usual logic, visitors descend before rediscovering the sky within the artwork itself.
The expansion also includes the Salling Gallery, a vast 1,000-square-meter exhibition hall dedicated to contemporary art installations. Together, these spaces create a powerful and cohesive sensory experience. Here, architecture becomes an artistic medium.
“The architecture is not merely a setting for the artwork, but an essential component of it.”
Schmidt Hammer Lassen, architects
This fusion of art and architecture is central to understanding the project’s overall vision and emotional impact.
Who Is James Turrell and What Is His Artistic Journey?
James Turrell is an American artist born in 1943 and a pioneer of the Light and Space movement. He has devoted his career to exploring perception and using light as a material in itself. His work moves beyond the boundaries of art, science, and architecture.
Trained in perceptual psychology, Turrell became deeply interested in the visual and cognitive mechanisms that shape how we see. His experience as a pilot, which began when he was just 16, profoundly influenced his relationship with the sky. For him, the horizon is a fundamental line—both physical and poetic.
His most iconic work remains Roden Crater in Arizona, where he is transforming a volcanic crater into a perceptual observatory of celestial light. This monumental project, still ongoing, embodies a lifelong artistic pursuit that has spanned more than fifty years.
« My work has no object, no image and no focus. With no object, no image and no focus, what are you looking at? You are looking at you looking. »
James Turrell, artist
His work becomes an introspective experience—one that gently turns the viewer inward, making the act of seeing itself the true subject.
Practical Information for Visiting ARoS Aarhus Art Museum
- ARoS Aarhus Art Museum
- Aros Allé 2
- 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
A visit to As Seen Below – The Dome is included with a standard admission ticket to ARoS.
Opening Hours
June to September
- Monday to Friday: 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM
- Saturday and Sunday: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
October to May
- Tuesday to Friday: 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM
- Saturday and Sunday: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Please Note
Opening hours may change on public holidays or during special events. Before planning your visit, I warmly recommend checking the visitor information page on the ARoS Aarhus Art Museum website.
James Turrell Skyspace Light Modes
Several experience modes shape the journey through James Turrell’s Skyspace. Depending on the time of your visit, you may encounter one or another of these beautiful transformations:
- Open Sky: available continuously during museum opening hours
- Colour Shift: every hour in summer, every two hours in winter
- Twilight: special sessions available by reservation, in the morning or evening
Reservations
- Standard admission tickets: available through the ARoS museum website
- Twilight sessions: must be reserved online
- Detailed opening program: available in English
Guided tours and immersive events are also offered regularly, adding even more depth and wonder to the artistic and technical experience of the installation.
Which Nearby Hotels Offer Immersive Experiences?
Several hotels in Aarhus offer atmospheric experiences that echo Turrell’s universe. They emphasize light, design, and an immersive sense of place.
- Hotel Royal Aarhus — historic ambiance with subtle, scenographic lighting
- Comwell Aarhus — contemporary design with thoughtful attention to lighting atmospheres
- Hotel Oasia — Nordic minimalism and beautiful natural light
These are just a few examples of places that can extend the sensory experience inspired by the Skyspace.
How to Get to ARoS Aarhus Art Museum
ARoS Aarhus Art Museum is located in the heart of Aarhus, Denmark’s second-largest city. Set within a vibrant and easily accessible cultural district, the museum’s location adds to its appeal as a major artistic destination.
By Train
The museum is an easy walk from the main train station. The journey takes about ten minutes.
By Plane
From Aarhus Airport, shuttle buses regularly connect to the city center.
By Bus
Several bus routes also serve the museum, making access simple for international visitors.
FAQ
Are there any Skyspaces in France?
France does not yet have a permanent public monumental Skyspace like those found in the United States, Japan, or elsewhere in Europe. To my knowledge, however, there was a temporary installation from this series by James Turrell during an event at Le Confort Moderne in Poitiers. Access depended on entry to the venue, and visitors also had to be ready to jump into the water.
Passageways (1991), Le Confort Moderne, Poitiers
In France, this was perhaps the most unforgettable Skyspace experience. It featured American artist James Turrell’s Passageways in 1991.
As Elsa Versepuy and François Bombard of France 3 wrote in July 2025, “For several months, extensive work was carried out, notably to install a swimming pool.” They add, “Visitors had to put on their swimsuits to experience the exhibition.”
Stepping out of the water inside the installation, the square opening to the sky must have felt absolutely magical.
Where Can You See Skyspaces in Europe With Accommodations Nearby?
Several European Skyspaces offer comparable experiences, with accommodations nearby that allow for a deeper, more extended immersion in James Turrell’s world. Each one reveals how Turrell adapts his installations to their surroundings. The experience shifts profoundly depending on latitude and environment. Here is my selection of three places to visit.
Sweden – Skyspace Outside In in the Countryside
I had the pleasure of visiting Skyspace Outside In in Järna. In a distinctly Nordic setting, it explores the perception of color in a quietly powerful way.
The soft, diffused light of the Scandinavian sky heightens the perceptual effects beautifully.
A design hotel just next door, Ytterjärna Hotell & Konferens, extends the experience and makes it feel even more unforgettable.
Austria – Skyspace Lech in the Mountains
Set high in the Alps, Skyspace Lech in Lech am Arlberg enters into a moving dialogue with the dramatic landscape of the Austrian mountains, as noted by Journal du Design.
The rapidly changing light intensifies the visual experience.
This retreat in the heart of the Alpine arc offers a complete sense of immersion. Reservations are available online.
Switzerland – Skyspace Piz Uter on a Scenic Overlook
In the Engadine region, Hotel Castell, currently under renovation, brings together history and contemporary design.
It showcases the art collection envisioned by its owner, Ruedi Bechtler. The highlight is James Turrell’s Skyspace Piz Uter, a stone tower open to the sky and filled with striking poetry.
What Is the Most Monumental Skyspace in the World?
Roden Crater is James Turrell’s most monumental and ambitious project. Located in Arizona, it transforms a volcanic crater into a celestial observatory. It far exceeds the scale of traditional Skyspaces.
This extraordinary place explores cosmic light and astronomical cycles. It unfolds within a vast timescale, almost geological in its depth. For James Turrell, it stands as the work of a lifetime.
Lesson more (in French)
- James Turrell à Paris chez Gagosian Le Bourget et Almine Rech
- Flashback : James Turrell, Suède, See Colour
- James Turrell : livres clés sur l’artiste contemporain
