Last summer I took my autistic, anxiety ridden eleven year old son to the Henry Gallery in Seattle, Washington. While there we visited Skyspace, an installation by James Turrell. I knew only that Turrell had previously had a laser show there. I was skeptical as we approached the door to the exhibit, but once inside, it was awe inspiring. It turned out to be a permanent room shaped like an eye with a tall, smooth wooden bench circling its base. The curved walls sloped up to an aperture, a cut away in the oblong dome that looked like the eye's socket. Through it was open, unobstructed sky. As we sat and gazed up at the pure blueness my unusually peaceful son said, "Mom, this is the calmest space I have ever been in . I wish I had this space at home. I wish I had this space at school". I responded, "I know what you mean. I can't think of the past or future in this room. Being in this room is all there is". We moved on to explore other parts of the museum but he kept asking to return to Skyspace. The second time a wisp of cloud passed by and the last time a small plane crossed the unlikely canvass. For the rest of the day he murmured, "I really liked that room..." I knew that he had found an inner space that mirrored the Skyspace. Such a gift...
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STARS
Stars
fill
the
spaces
where
the
sky
beheld
its
self
Lovely memory, and I agree, that is a unique and peaceful place at the Henry. Respite from a noisy, overstimulating world