Slashdot Mirror
Artist Turns Volcano Into Naked-Eye Observatory
An anonymous reader writes "Unlike most Bond villains, 70-year-old James Turrell has turned a 389,000-year-old extinct volcano into something other than a secret hideout; he's turned it into a naked-eye observatory. From the article: 'Inside, the crater's naturally lit viewing rooms are precision-engineered to observe specific celestial events. While outside, Turrell has reformed the rim of the crater to create a beautiful "vaulting effect" of the sky in a way that we almost never see it. "I'm very interested in how we perceive, because that's how we construct the reality in which we live," Turrell says, "and I like to tweak that a little bit. I make structures that arrest and apprehend light for our perception."'"
My demands!? My demands!? Hahaha, Mr Bond. Surely you jest!
I demand that we should sit quietly together and contemplate creation, and yes, be good to each other and... I think that on the whole that pretty much covers it, when you really get down to it.
Oh yes, yes. Sorry I forgot HAHAHAHA AND THEN YOU DIE
Roden Crater has been 'closed' for quite some time. Previously, the only way to get in was to drive into the hills, backpack about ten miles from the nearest road, approach on a new moon at midnight, and blend into the construction crews as they arrive in the morning to get them to give you a tour of what they're building (they like giving tours). That, or donate about a million dollars to the project. Then you can shake Mr. Turrell's hand and have him fawn over you like you're some golden child (which you just might as well be if you're forking over that kind of dough for what amounts to being a science museum) I don't think its ever actually going to open. If it did, it wouldn't last long, and I'm betting that Turrell, like every other major artist, has realized if they just pander to the rich, their art can stand the test of time (especially considering all this is, is just environmental art). So why is Mr. Turrell talking about something he has no intention of having the wider world to know about? Because he needs money. He's basically just begging. confession: I am a BFA