James Turrell
An artist who builds Skyspaces, rooms with an opening in the ceiling that frames the sky.
Where James Turrell comes up1 episode or test
- 1Build a SkyspaceSame room, opening in the ceiling
- 2Make it 2 to 5% betterBetter than the one before
- 3Newer one beats olderSagmeister checks the date before visiting
From Sagmeister on James Turrell's Skyspaces
What was said about James Turrell
1Turrell's Skyspaces and the habit of small improvements
Turrell makes each Skyspace a little better than the last. James Turrell has built dozens of Skyspaces and is willing to make each one 2 to 5% better than the one before. Sagmeister checks a piece's date before visiting a museum, because the newer ones are so much better than the old ones.
Sagmeister describes this as staying with one idea and going deeper. He preferred changers when he was young but now values stay-the-samers. Quote: "make it 2% 5% better every single time he does a new one".
Inside a James Turrell Skyspace, the sky-lit chamber he has refined across dozens of versions. Repeating a form on purpose is different from sitting in a rut. Turrell keeps returning to the same form, the room with an opening in the ceiling, and each version improves a little. The repetition is deliberate and aimed at improvement, not drift.
A well-made Skyspace guides behavior without any instructions. At the Skyscape in Lech, Austria, skiers in noisy boots walk in, look up and sit quietly. No sign tells them to.
How to Create Original Ideas — Stefan Sagmeister
Turrell has made dozens of Skyspaces and is willing to make each one 2 to 5% better than the last, so Sagmeister checks a piece's date before visiting. At the Skyscape in Lech, Austria, skiers in noisy boots walk in, look up and sit quietly with no sign telling them to.
Turrell makes each Skyspace a little better than the last. James Turrell has built dozens of Skyspaces and is willing to make each one 2 to 5% better than the one before. Sagmeister checks a piece's date before visiting a museum, because the newer ones are so much better than the old ones.
Sagmeister describes this as staying with one idea and going deeper. He preferred changers when he was young but now values stay-the-samers. Quote: "make it 2% 5% better every single time he does a new one".
Inside a James Turrell Skyspace, the sky-lit chamber he has refined across dozens of versions. Repeating a form on purpose is different from sitting in a rut. Turrell keeps returning to the same form, the room with an opening in the ceiling, and each version improves a little. The repetition is deliberate and aimed at improvement, not drift.
A well-made Skyspace guides behavior without any instructions. At the Skyscape in Lech, Austria, skiers in noisy boots walk in, look up and sit quietly. No sign tells them to.
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