Friday, September 8, 2017

The Irish Sky Garden by James Turrell

The next time I'm in Ireland, I would like to visit The Irish Sky Garden at Liss Ard Estate in West Cork.

"Designed and constructed under the close observation of famed Artist, James Turrell, The Irish Sky Garden or Crater gives the viewer a totally unique opportunity to admire and enjoy the ‘celestial vault’. Turrell, considered the greatest American Land Art Artist, has turned the Crater into a massive naked-eye observatory. The sky is his studio.

The Artist creates anticipation, wonder and joy for the viewer both in terms of the simplicity of the idea and the complexity of the construction. Each element has been carefully engineered to appear natural (but in fact not one element has been left to chance.) This attention to detail insures that each element is experienced in the way that the artist intended, almost like he was standing at your shoulder whispering in your ear what to do next…
His design allows, either in daylight or at night, for the viewer to truly experience the sky at that particular moment in time without any distractions or impediments. Against the soft green background of the grass and the closely cropped top edge of the Crater...no distractions remain to draw the viewer’s eye, what is left is just the sky, the Irish Sky.

The Artist intended that the Crater be visited by very small groups of people and in fact two is the perfect number. The ‘Vault Purchase’ (stone plinth) is designed for two lying toe to toe, their necks resting on the ‘Neck Roll’ allowing them to view this amazing framing of the Irish Sky."


"Liss Ard Estate is a place of enchantment and relaxation set on 163 acres of gorgeous countryside and an amazing 50-acre lake! The country house was built in 1853 by the O'Donavan chiefs and it became the last of their Georgian style houses to be built.

In the 1870's the Victorian style, Lake house was built as a summer residence for the O'Donavans.

The O'Donanvans sold Liss Ard with its 300 acres by auction in 1924. Over the next 66 years, Liss Ard was the home of many fascinating characters. It was even set up as a secret exile domicile for the Swiss government by the Swiss Colonel Albert Bachman.

It is now owned by the Stern family and running full time as a luxury estate that provides bed & breakfast, exquisite cuisine, incredible gardens and the perfect venue for weddings, private events, and accommodation in Skibbereen, West Cork, Ireland."

I think I really want to visit it at night and look up at the stars...

https://www.lissardestate.com/sky-garden

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