James Turrell
James Turrell is obsessed with the artistic exploration of light and has devoted his life to demonstrating how light is something to be treasured. Turrell is an artist who does not produce light for the purpose of illumination, but creates conditions in which light can behave free of that role. ... Turrell deals with light just as we deal with material objects. ... " Turrell’s interests in light and human perception converged and finally found expression in art. ... Says Turrell: “They said it was just light on a wall—which is what it was.” But Turrell argues that light cannot be written off so easily. ... , Turrell began to experiment with light. ... 19th Turrell has repackaged nature, bringing the outside inside for closer inspection. Turrell’s work can also be demanding. ... This demanding and minimalistic aspect of his art has helped Turrell gain needed funding, including the wealthy private collectors who have helped fund Roden Crater. The Italian businessman Count Panza di Buomo, started collecting Turrell’s work over 30 years ago, sees it as something akin to a social cure-all. ... Turrell isn’t so extreme, he says ‘Rather than being a journal of my seeing, it is about your seeing. ... Turrell’s Roden Crater Project is an interactive sculptural environment; its subject matter is light and space. After more than 500 hours flying his single engine plane in the search for the perfect volcano, in 1974 Turrell found Roden Crater. ... Without drastically altering the natural site, Turrell’s vision is to create a number of chambers within the volcano where visitors will feel the presence of gathered starlight.