James Turrell and Schmidt Hammer Lassen want to set imaginations free with vast Dome installation
by Kim Megson | 25 Jan 2017
– Morten Schmidt, co-founder of Schmidt Hammer Lassen
Spirituality, creativity and artistic freedom are driving a major collaboration between architects Schmidt Hammer Lassen and light artist James Turrell for the ARos Aarhus Art Museum, the co-founder of the Danish practice has told CLAD.
Morten Schmidt said that the vast installation being installed as part of the museum’s €40m (US$43, £31m) expansion plan, the Next Level, will allow visitors to “experience real colour and energy” as art and architecture are merged to create a new type of civic experience.
The project will see the addition of a 1,200sq m (12,900sq ft) underground gallery and a gigantic semi-subterranean art installation called The Dome, described by the team as “one of the most spectacular spaces ever built into an art museum.”
“The scale is incredible,” said Schmidt. “The director of our museum [Erlend Høyersten] is a very forward-looking person. He thinks it’s absolutely crucial for young people to be exposed heavily to art.
"Everything they see on TV is so pre-determined and without spontaneity that they’re not using the artistic part of their brain enough. So he really wants them to come in and experience something real and memorable.”
Visitors to the attraction will face “an experience in colour and light” as they travel through a string of galleries and exhibition spaces, stretching almost 120m (393.7ft) below the surface, until they reach the inside of the spectacular Dome, which is 40m (131.2ft) in diameter and rises to 9m (29.5ft) above ground level.
Schmidt Hammer Lassen are the original designers of the museum, which opened in 2004, and worked with Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson in 2011 to build Your Rainbow Panorama; a luminous circular artwork that hovers permanently on the building’s roof.
Schmidt claimed the new installation, which will open for the public in 2020, has been conceived to create a spiritual experience. “James Turrell is a very spiritual person, he’s a Quaker, and he’s very in tune with concepts such as reincarnation and the spirit world.
“The funny thing he’s very much into Rudolf Steiner and anthroposophy [an esoteric spiritual movement that teaches that wellbeing and an understanding of the spiritual nature of humanity and the universe can be achieved through scientific study]. I went to a Rudolf Steiner school, Turrell did, and the director of the museum did as well. So in that way we are a trio, and that background has lined our thinking with this project.”
Turrell is one of the world's leading artists working with light and colours, with permanent installations in over 26 countries. The Next Level is his biggest project within a museum context.
Schmidt Hammer Lassen are developing a number of projects, including a new public centre for the city of Stavanger, Norway, an art gallery and clubhouse on a lake in southern China, and a cultural district in Shanghai.
James Turrell Schmidt Hammer Lassen the Next Level light art design spirituality Rudolf Steiner anthroposophy ARos Aarhus Art Museum
Morten Schmidt said that the vast installation will allow visitors to 'experience real colour and energy' as art and architecture are merged Credit: Beauty & The Bit
Morten Schmidt and James Turrell are bringing a sense of spirituality to the project Credit: Schmidt Hammer Lassen
Schmidt Hammer Lassen previously worked with Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson in 2011 to build a luminous installation on the building;s roof Credit: Beauty & The Bit
The museum has launched a €40m (US$43, £31m) expansion called The Next Level Credit: Beauty & The Bit
Visitors to the attraction will face 'an experience in colour and light' as they travel through a string of galleries and exhibition spaces Credit: Beauty & The Bit
The extension will open to the public in 2020 Credit: Beauty & The Bit
17 Nov 2016
Schmidt Hammer Lassen reveal design for ambitious James Turrell art museum collaboration
20 Sep 2016
Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects win international design competition for towering public meeting space Stavanger, Norway
11 Mar 2016
Schmidt Hammer Lassen aim to reinvigorate central Stockholm with a green-topped mixed-use complex
07 Mar 2016
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20 Jan 2016
Schmidt hammer lassen win design competition for major mixed-use cultural project in Shanghai
23 Dec 2015
Marina Abramovic and James Turrell collaborate with Tasmania art museum for massive culture and leisure expansion
13 Nov 2015
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