C H A L L E N G I N G T H E V I E W E R S P E R C E P T I O N W I T H L I G H T:

EXPLORING THE WORK OF JAMES TURRELL AND OLAFUR ELIASSON

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
TOTAL LOSS OF DEPTH PERCEPTION
JAMES TURRELL
P R O J E C T I O N P I E C E S 1967/8
P E R C E P T I O N, I N T H E O R Y
G A N Z F E L D S 2013

SEEING YOURSELF SEE

OLAFUR ELIASSON
R O O M F O R O N E C O L O U R 1997
SCIENTIFIC AND ARTISTIC Q UALITIES OF LIGHT
Y E L L O W VS. P U R P L E
CONTRASTS / COMPARISONS
CONCLUSION
 INTRODUCTION
AS A VIEWER, WHEN YOU ARE PLACED WITHIN A SITUATION,
AN INSTALLATION IN THIS CASE, THAT MAKES YOU QUESTION
THE LIMITS OF YOUR OWN PERCEPTION AND ARE AT THE
SAME TIME GREETED WITH FANTASTIC EXAMPLES OF
OPTICAL PHENOMENA, ONE CAN ONLY WONDER HOW THE
ARTWORKS IN FRONT OF YOUR BEING- BEGIN TO ACHIEVE
THIS, AND HOW THEY ARE TRYING TO EXPOSE WHAT IS
GOING ON BEHIND YOUR EYES, AND WITHIN THE SENSES,
THUS ENABLING YOURSELF, TO SEE YOURSELF SEEING, AND
EXPERIENCE YOURSELF - EXPERIENCING THE LIGHT.
WHEN AN ARTISTIC PRACTICE EXPRESSES TO EXPLORE THE
QUALITIES OF LIGHT, I AM IMMEDIATELY STRUCK WITH
CONFLICTING QUESTIONS, IS THE ARTIST USING THE LIGHT
TO REVEAL SOMETHING TO THE VIEWER? OR IS THE LIGHT A
REVELATION IN ITSELF? IS THE LIGHT A MATERIAL? A MEANS
OF PRODUCTION? OR DOES IT JUST EXIST, AS LIGHT?
IN RELATION TO ARTISTS WHOSE PRACTICE ENGAGES WITH AND
USES LIGHT, WE CAN ASK: HOW IS THE ARTIST USING LIGHT TO
CHALLENGE OUR PERCEPTION.
THE HISTORY OF ARTISTS EXPLORING LIGHT WITHIN THEIR
ART PRACTICE AND HOW IT CAN BE USED TO CHALLENGE A
VIEWERS PERCEPTION NEVERTHELESS PROVOKES US TO THINK
OVER THESE QUESTIONS AND ANY OVERLAPPING CONNECTIONS
THEY MAY HAVE. MANY ARTISTS IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE
20TH CENTURY WERE ENGAGING WITH MATERIAL PURITY AND
RESPONDING TO THE ENCOMPASSING STRIPPED DOWN
AESTHETICS OF THE PRECEEDING MOVEMENTS OF MINIMALISM
AND ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM. REFERRING TO THE CALIFORNIA
LIGHT AND SPACE MOVEMENT IN THE 1960S WHERE A SMALL
GROUP OF ARTISTS PASSIONATELY CREATED ATMOSPHERIC AND
IMMERSIVE LIGHT INSTALLATIONS WHEREHENCE THE
CHIAROSCURO OF THE SPACE PLAYED WITH NATURE OF
PERCEPTION.
INTRODUCTION

INTRO TO TOPIC
HISTORICAL CONTEXT - CL&SM
ANALYSIS OF CONTEXT
QUESTIONS TO ADRESS
HOW TO ADRESS THOSE QUESTIONS
INTRODUCE CASE STUDIES
TOTAL LOSS OF DEPTH PERCEPTION

INTRODUCE JAMES TURREL

WHERE HE FITS WITHIN THE TOPIC AND THE CONTEXT
INTRODUCE PROJECTION PIECES
EXTENSIVE DESCRIPTION OF THE WORK IN TOPIC
SUMMARY CUT DOWN TO SOMETHING EVOCATIVE OF THE QUESTIONS
ANALYSIS/UNDERSTANDING
PERCEPTION IN THEORY
INTRODUCE GANZFELDS
EXTENSIVE DESCRIPTION OF THE WORK IN TOPIC
ANALYSIS/UNDERSTANDING
ASK FURTHER QUESTIONS TO LINK TO NEXT CASE STUDY
INTRODUCE AND LINK TO NEXT CASE STUDY
PROJECTION PIECES

AFRUM PALE PINK (1968) STUFF (WHITE) (1967)

P E R C E P T I O N, I N T H E O R Y
 GANZFELDS

BREATHING LIGHT (2013)

LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART
SEEING YOURSELF SEE
INTRODUCE OLAFUR ELIASSON
HOW HE FITS IN WITH THE TOPIC AND CONTEXT
INTRODUCE ROOM FOR ONE COLOUR
DESCRIBE
SUMMARISE AND ANALYSE
FROM A VIEWERS PERSPECTIVE
THE ARTISTIC AND SCIENTIFIC QULITIES OF LIGHT
HOW HAVE OTHERS WRITTEN ABOUT HIM-
JOHNATHAN CRARY
WHAT QUESTIONS DOES JOHNATHAN CRARY POSE
INTRODUCE YELLOW VS. PURPLE
DESCRIBE THE WORK
ANALYSE/SUMMARISE
 OLAFUR ELIASSON, ROOM FOR ONE COLOUR 1997

MONOFREQUENCY LAMPS MOUNTED TO THE

CEILING OF A WHITE ROOM EMIT YELLOW LIGHT
THAT REDUCES THE VIEWERS' SPECTRAL RANGE TO
YELLOW AND BLACK. IN REACTION TO THE YELLOW
ENVIRONMENT, VIEWERS MOMENTARILY PERCEIVE A
BLUISH AFTERIMAGE AFTER LEAVING THE SPACE.
SCIENTIFIC AND ARTISTIC Q UALITIES OF LIGHT
Y E L L O W VS. P U R P L E

2017, TATE MODERN, LONDON

CONTRASTS / COMPARISONS
CONCLUSION
 A BUBBLE not sure where to put this stuff

To determine how and what an artists intentions are we can think of a Bubble, and if it were a work of art.
3 situations will now be posed that incite us to question how and what an artists intention is:
Situation 1- Is the work the bubble itself with its iridescent beauty and fragile surface structure?
Situation 2.a- Is the work about how the bubble was formed, perhaps this could be understood in a performance
of the process of blowing the bubble?
Situation 2.b- Is the bubble used to direct our attention to its means of production, whether it be the object
used to create the bubble, the light that bounces off it surface, creating and refracting an abundance of colour,
or the soapy water
Situation 3- Or, is the bubble being used to expose an entirely different not so obvious entity for example how it
distorts our vision when we peer into it.

Is James Turrells work about Light or is it the Light itself?

Is Olafur Eliassons work directing our attention to its means of production or is it trying to expose to us to
something entirely different and phenomenal?

Olafur Eliasson uses light to reveal something to us whereas James Turrell shows us how Light is a revelation in
itself.
 INTRODUCTION CHALLENGING THE
TOPIC HISTORICAL VIEWERS PERCEPTIONS
SUMMARY/ANALYSE/UNDERSTANDING CONTEXT
WITH LIGHT.
INTRODUCE
QUESTIONS DESCRIPTION CASE STUDIES CITE: CITE:
TO ADDRESS ON HOW TO ART AND VISUAL PERCEPTION: A
PHENOMENAL PHYSCHOLOGY OF THE CREATIVE EYE
QUESTIONS : ADDRESS CITE:
COMPARISON? ART AFTER THE CALIFORNIA
QUESTIONS SCIENTIFIC
LIGHT AND SPACE MOVEMENT
AND
CITE: CALIFORNIAN LIGHT ARTISTIC
JUDITH BUTLER AND SPACE DESCRIPTION QUALITIES
MOVEMENT CITE:
LIGHT OF LIGHT DEREK JAARMAN


DESCRIPTION
QUALITIES
JAMES TURRELL ARTIST CITE: CITE:


HOW TO USE IT
WHAT IT IS
GANZFELD 1 INTENTION JOHNATHAN
DESCRIPTION CRARY
OLAFUR ELIASSON
BOOKS
DIFFERENT
i. TOTAL LOSS OF DEPTH PERCEPTION
WAYS TO USE IT
ii. SEEING YOURSELF SEE
SUMMARY/ANALYSE
BUBBLE THEORY
CITE:
JAMES TURRELL BOOKS ARTIST 2 OLAFUR ELIASSON
CITE:
CITE: INTENTION ROOM FOR ONE COLOUR
JOSEF ALBERS
DISPLACEMENTS OF SHADOW, CITE:
ART PAPERS SUMMARY/ANALYSE SURRONDINGS SORROUNDED
OLAFUR ELIASSON
CITE:
HISTORICAL-
ROBERT IRWIN
BOOKS (PERCEPTION)
PAPERS CONTEMPORARY-
VIDEOS DAVID BATCHELOR
EXHIBITION (LIGHT AND
PRESS RELEASE COLOUR)
ESSAYS
 ART HISTORICAL
ART-THEORETICAL
CONTEXTS
BIDGET RILEY

PURKINJE IMAGES
JOSEF ALBERS: THE MAGIC OP ART
1960S
AND LOGIC OF COLOR 1996 AFTERIMAGES
PERCEPTION. PERCEPTUAL PHENOMENA. ROOM
S FOR ONE ART AND SCIENCE
N COLOUR THOMAS YOUNG
GERMAN WORD
IMPRESSION OF
SITE SPECIFIC
TO DESCRIBE
TOTAL LOSS OF
O ANOTHER
MINIMALISM: VIVID IMAGE
HERMAN HELMOLTZ
THRICHROMATIC
DEPTH W ART AFTER RETAINED BY
THEORY OF
ROBERT IRWIN PERCEPTION THE EYE
TRANSPARENT,
B CALIFORNIA
JAMES TURRELL
COLOUR VISION
TRANSPARENCY, LIGHT AND (RECEPTOR LEVEL)
EFFERVESCENT GANZFELD L THE AFTERIMAGE 1850
CONSTRUCTIONS SPACE
REFLECTION, LIGHT, I FRUIT MARKET PHENOMENA IN THE OPPONENT
ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM SPACE GALLERY 2016 VISUAL SYSTEM PROCESS
MAXIMALISM N
1971 UCLA ART GALLERY THEORY OF
D COLOUR VISION
CALIFORNIA LIGHT NEON, GLASS, RESIN, ACRYLIC, FLOURESCENT LIGHTS (NEURAL LEVEL)
GEOMETRIC ABSTRACTION MINIMALISM AND SPACE MOVEMENT 1964
1960s COLOUR THEORY EPHEMERA, COLOUR, THE EYE
OLAFUR ELIASON:
ANNE APPLEBY DEMATERIALISATION
AMBIENT, ENVIRONMENTAL, EPHEMERAL WILLIAM TURNER VISIONARY EVENTS
COLOUR FEILD PHIL SIMMS
CALIFORNIA MINIMALISM DAVID SIMPSON CAMERA OBSCURER
FINISH FREDERICK
OLAFUR ELIASON JOHNATHAN CRARY
NEW YORK MINIMALISM FETISH L.A. GLASS AND PLASTIC SPRATT
TECHNIQUES OF THE
SEAMLESS, GROUP KUNSTHALLE BASEL OBSERVER 1990
CONCRETE, LITERAL, MATERIAL YELLOW VS. SUSPENSIONS OF
STREAMLINED, OLAFUR ELLIASON
PERCEPTION:
GLOSSY CRAIG KAUFFMAN PURPLE 8/1997 CATALOGUE ATTENTION, SPECTACTLE
LARRY BELL & MODERN CULTURE
2000