encounter james turrell's skyspace at culiacan botanical garden

lush green botanical gardens of culiacan, mexico is the recently inaugurated home of james turrell‘s immersive work ‘encounter‘, the first public skyspace in latin america. renowned for forming perceptual light experiences that create an atmosphere of reflection and introspection, turrell has realized ‘encounter’ specifically for the site’s natural setting.

the intimate observatory bears an elliptical shape, which visitors enter through a narrow aperture set within a grassy dome. once inside, an opening at the crown of the chamber allows viewers to experience the interaction between the evolving colors of the sky, and the changing, luminous hues projected on a circular orb surrounding. the altered perspective intensifies the effect that the tonal range between dawn and dusk innately generates in our conscience and human awareness.

projected light changes the perception of the sky
image courtesy of savvy studio

‘encounter’ has recently been reazlied in mexico’s botanical gardens of culiacan
image courtesy of savvy studio

image courtesy of savvy studio

viewers experience the evolving colors of the sky
image courtesy of savvy studio

image © josé luis arellano

visitors enter the skyspace through a narrow aperture set within a grassy dome
image courtesy of savvy studio

new york based savvy studio has developed a system of branding for ‘encounter’ that emphasizes turrell’s fascination with light phenomena and gives the medium an almost tangible quality. gradients implemented throughout the promotional material and catalog mimic the shifting hues generated within the skyspace — an extension of the experience lived within ‘encounter’. the project’s graphic language portrays this occurence in an abstract manner rather than through descriptive information.

gradients reflect the shifting views of the installation ‘encounter’
images courtesy of savvy studio

the promotional material and catalog draw from the skyspace’s color palette

the branding is an extension of the experience lived within ‘encounter’