James Turrell closed his MoMA PS1 installation until intrusive construction scaffolding comes down.
A view from James Turrell, Meeting, 1980–86. Photo by Nick Normal, via Flickr.
After reports earlier this month that the scaffolding of a Long Island City luxury apartment development currently under construction had encroached on the view through the aperture of James Turrell’s Meeting (1980–86), a permanent installation housed at MoMA PS1, the artist has decided to close the work to the public until further notice.
A spokesperson for PS1 told Gothamist on Friday that:
[A]fter further conversation with James Turrell, we have closed Meeting at the artist’s request and it will remain closed until the temporary construction scaffolding is no longer visible from the work.
Meeting was the first of Turrell’s “Skyspace” installations to be created in the U.S. and consists of a square hole in the gallery ceiling that affords viewers an unimpeded view of the sky. During a recent renovation, the aperture was framed by LED lights that adjust in accordance with the position of the Sun. The work’s success relies in part on the view it frames of the sky remaining unobstructed.
The development in question, a pair of luxury apartment towers at the former site of the legendary graffiti hub 5Pointz, is estimated to be completed around June of 2019. Though the scaffolding at the site has disrupted the view from Turrell’s installation, once construction is completed the new building will not be visible from inside Meeting.
