Subterranean wonder beneath ARoS Aarhus Art Museum
In Aarhus, Denmark, a unique addition to the ARoS Aarhus Art Museum is capturing the imagination of visitors with its mesmerizing design. James Turrell’s latest creation, As Seen Below – The Dome, is a captivating Skyspace installation that seamlessly incorporates the Danish sky into the museum’s experience. Opened in January 2026, this permanent light installation sits beneath a grassy dome, punctuated by an oculus that frames the sky.
A journey through light and perception
Approaching this installation requires traversing an underground corridor, guiding visitors away from the hustle of the city and into a reflective journey. Turrell’s intention is clear: to provide an immersive experience that brings the heavens closer, triggering a sense of wonder that preludes the shifting lights within the chamber.
Inside, a vast aperture offers views of the open sky. Without apparent visual aids, the focus remains on the dynamic interplay between colors, light, and architectural form. Turrell sums it up: “The architecture brings the sky close, so you realize that the very act of seeing is the artwork itself.”
Exploring light’s transformative power
This installation employs different modes including Open Sky, Colour Shift, and Twilight sessions at sunrise and sunset. Each mode provides a distinct experience as colors dance across surfaces, and the sky’s hue reacts with these changes, creating an illusion of fluidity.
Turrell’s long-standing engagement with light as a tangible element continues here, drawing from his rich background in art and perceptual psychology. By transforming light into an experience, he offers visitors a space where perception becomes a profound, tactile sensation.
Turrell’s use of light and perception echoes Fujiko Nakaya’s fog sculpture that transforms spaces into dynamic art forms.
Expanding the ARoS experience
Turrell’s Skyspace marks a significant expansion at ARoS, designed in collaboration with Schmidt Hammer Lassen and the Aarhus Municipality. This addition includes The Salling Gallery and the ARoS Art Square, funded by various benefactors including the Salling Foundations and the New Carlsberg Foundation.
When viewed from above, the installation harmonizes with the museum’s architecture, complimenting Olafur Eliasson’s Your rainbow panorama while offering a contrasting invitation to explore the world beneath the surface.
The innovative use of light throughout the different sessions highlights the evolving relationship between the physical space and the viewer’s perception, making each visit a singular encounter with the sky.
For a look at bold transformations in architecture, see how OMA reimagined the Edo-Tokyo Museum with light without altering physical structures.
Sources & Links
Source: designboom.com