An emotional encounter with James Turrell's Skyspace

My friend and mentor, Emile Bruneau, was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer this past January. That's all you need to know for context, so I'll spare you the hundreds of pages that I could write hundreds about how extraordinary he is, how important his research is, and how unjust life can be.

I was recently reading a caringbridge post from his wife, Steph, and was surprised to find out that the two of them recently went to the Skyspace at the Chestnut Hill Friends Meeting House (which I mentioned during my artist presentation). Although I have spent at least a dozen hours thinking about Turrell's work, her description of the experience brought a new emotionality to the art that I had never considered, so I wanted to share it with you all:

"In the spirit of making the most of this time together, on Sunday Emile and I got a babysitter, and went on a date to the Skyspace at the Chestnut Hill Friends Meetinghouse. Have you ever been there?? If not, you should go -- it's really, really beautiful. You lie on your back and look up at the ceiling of the sanctuary. Just before sunset the ceiling opens, and a large hole is revealed, through which you look up at the sky in such a way as though it were framed. Soft lights surrounding the opening on the ceiling change colors over time, and the color of the sky, in contrast to the colors on the ceiling, appears to change colors dramatically as well. To me, it felt like a meditation on perception. The sky WAS actually changing, as birds flew overhead, as an airplane left its contrail, as the sun slowly set. But the perception of the sky as deeply purple one moment, and vibrant turquoise the next, had to do with the changing color of the light that was framing the opening at any given minute. What we see in front of us, whether it's the sky, a stranger, a loved one, or a life challenge, can be viewed and experienced So Differently depending on the light that shines on and around it.  

There's been an amazing outpouring of light on and around our unfolding journey, and it's helped shape our perspective this past year. Amazingly, this light has allowed our experience to unfold with incredible beauty. Until this year, I never knew the sky could be this color."