The Skyspace Lech is a walk-in art installation by

James Turrell James Turrell (born May 6, 1943) is an American artist known for his work within the Light and Space movement. Much of Turrell's career has been devoted to a still-unfinished work, ''Roden Crater'', a natural cinder cone crater located outsid ...

in Tannegg/ Oberlech in

Vorarlberg Vorarlberg ( , ; gsw, label= Vorarlbergisch, Vorarlbearg, , or ) is the westernmost state () of Austria. It has the second-smallest geographical area after Vienna and, although it also has the second-smallest population, it is the state with the ...

(

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

). In 2014, James Turrell conceptualised the ''Skyspace Lech'' design specifically for this location to make the skyspace integrate itself in the landscape seamlessly. It opened to public in September 2018.

Location

The Skyspace Lech is located in Tannegg in

, the westernmost federal state of

, at an altitude of 1.780 m. It is in walking distance from Oberlech at the "Alpe Tannegg", above the mountain station of the gondola ''Schloßkopfbahn''.

The skyspace

The American light artist

is the original designer of the so-called "skyspace". A

skyspace A skyspace is an architectural design in which a room, which is painted in a neutral color has a large hole in its ceiling which opens directly to the sky. The room, whose perimeter has benches, allows observers to look at the sky in such a way a ...

is an enclosed space which is open to the sky through a large hole in the ceiling or dome. It usually is large enough for about 15 people. The Skyspace Lech is largely underground. A 15 m long tunnel gives access to the oval main room "Sensing Room", which measures 6 m by 9 m. It is 5.20 m high and equipped with a bench and offers space for around 30 visitors. The oval opening in the ceiling has a dynamic dome that can be moved and provides different perceptual effects depending on the weather and the incidence of light (e.g., colour-changing light at the walls). Three light installations also create variable color moods. The bookable program starts 50 minutes before sunrise or at sunset. The light performances last for about 45 minutes during which visitors are able to spot the

Biberkopf The Biberkopf is a 2,599 m high mountain in the Alps on the border between Germany and Austria. Location and area The Biberkopf lies on the main crest of the Allgäu Alps on the border between the Bavarian district of Oberallgäu and the ...

summit and the village Bürstegg on one side and on the other the Omeshorn. The project was designed and built in cooperation with Vorarlberg companies (lighting technology:

Zumtobel The Zumtobel Group is an Austrian company specialising in lighting headquartered in Dornbirn. Zumtobel engages in the development, production and sales of lighting, luminaires, lighting management and lighting components for indoor and outdoor ap ...

, architecture: Baumschlager Eberle). The Skyspace Lech cost around 1.5 million euros.

Photo gallery

File:Skyspace Lech (c) Katharina Fa - Vorarlberg Tourismus.jpg, View from the Sensing Room File:Lech-SKYSPACE-James Turell-dome-hole-18MSA.jpg, View upon the sky through the hole File:Lech-SKYSPACE-James Turell-dome-hole-17MSA.jpg, View upon the sky through the hole File:Lech-SKYSPACE-James Turell-12MSA.jpg, Tunnel from the outside to the Sensing Room

References

External links

Official website

Lonely Planet about the Skyspace Lech
{{Authority control Art museums and galleries in Austria Local museums in Austria Museums in Vorarlberg Vorarlberg Works by James Turrell

Location

The skyspace

See also

Photo gallery

References

External links