Designed and constructed under the close observation of famed Artist, James Turrell, The Irish Sky Garden or Crater gives the viewer a totally unique opportunity to admire and enjoy the ‘celestial vault’. Turrell, considered the greatest American Land Art Artist, has turned the Crater into a massive naked – eye observatory. The sky is his studio.
The Artist creates anticipation, wonder and joy for the viewer both in terms of the simplicity of the idea and the complexity of the construction. Each element has been carefully engineered to appear natural (but in fact not one element has been left to chance.) This attention to detail insures that each element is experienced in the way that the artist intended, almost like he was standing at your shoulder whispering in your ear what to do next…
His design allows, either in daylight or at night, for the viewer to truly experience the sky at that particular moment in time without any distractions or impediments. Against the soft green background of the grass and the closely cropped top edge of the Crater…no distractions remain to draw the viewer’s eye, what is left is just the sky, the Irish Sky.
The Artist intended that the Crater be visited by very small groups of people and in fact two is the perfect number. The ‘Vault Purchase’ (stone plinth) is designed for two lying toe to toe, their necks resting on the ‘Neck Roll’ allowing them to view this amazing framing of the Irish Sky.
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