Let there be LEDs: Tech upgrade helps James Turrell’s Skyspace shine
James Turrell's "Light Reign" Skyspace at the UW Henry Art Gallery will be relit on November 14 after a nearly decade-long period of darkness. The art installation received a major tech upgrade, replacing old lighting systems with 840 new LEDs and a control system synchronized with sunrise and sunset, restoring its intended dynamic color programs.
The University of Washington's Henry Art Gallery is set to re-illuminate James Turrell's iconic "Light Reign" Skyspace on November 14, following a comprehensive technological overhaul. After remaining unlit for nearly a decade, the permanent art installation will once again captivate visitors with its dynamic light programs, powered by hundreds of new LED fixtures and a state-of-the-art control system synchronized with sunrise and sunset.
Originally installed in 2003 near the Henry Art Gallery's entrance, "Light Reign" is a distinctive oval chamber by the renowned 83-year-old artist James Turrell, who masterfully employs light as his primary medium. Inside the Skyspace, LED lights will now gradually shift colors across the walls, complementing an oculus that opens to frame the sky. Externally, the glass-paneled structure will glow with its own programmed light sequences, re-establishing its presence as a modern beacon on the historic UW campus.
A Decade in the Dark: The Need for an Upgrade
The Skyspace's original lighting system, comprised of early-generation LEDs for the exterior and neon tubes for the interior and oculus, began failing around 2015. Sage Sommer, the Henry's director of exhibitions and collections, noted that the museum gradually lost the ability to operate the lights as they reached the end of their lifespan. While the Skyspace remained open for visitors to experience the natural sky, the intended color programs ceased to function.
After years of meticulous planning, the Henry Art Gallery embarked on a full lighting restoration, integrating insights from Turrell's more recent Skyspaces. The museum collaborated with lighting designer Ryan Pike of RHMP, a firm specializing in Turrell installations and upgrades. Pike described the exterior as the most challenging aspect, featuring over 700 lights across nine DMX universes, allowing each fixture independent control.
Advanced Lighting and Control Systems
The new system boasts approximately 840 LED fixtures: about 710 on the exterior and 130 illuminating the interior. This transition from older technologies, like the 1920s-era cold cathode tubes previously used in some Turrell works, to modern LEDs provides significantly greater control and a broader spectrum of colors. As observed in a similar restoration of Turrell's "Sky Pesher" at Minneapolis's Walker Art Center, what were once limited shades can now be vibrant and multicolored.
"The very cool thing about this space, because we are so far north, is just how connected to sunrise and sunset it is, and how drastically different it is throughout the year," Sommer explained. The exterior light program will activate 30 minutes before dawn and dusk, with a brief morning show and an evening display lasting about four hours after sunset. The Skyspace's unique hydraulic lid, engineered by submarine manufacturers in Everett, will continue to open to the sky, closing only during inclement weather.
In addition to the lighting upgrade, the museum utilized the downtime since late July for physical restoration. This included repainting the interior, refinishing teak benches, waxing floors, replacing worn locks, refitting swollen doors, and cleaning gutters. All electrical wiring for the installation was also completely replaced.
Celebrating a Centennial with Technology
The relighting of "Light Reign" coincides with the Henry Art Gallery's upcoming 100th anniversary, as Washington's first public art museum prepares to celebrate its centennial in February 2027. This milestone will also see the launch of a major exhibition in late February focusing on contemporary art and technology. Swagato Chakravorty, the associate curator, highlighted the exhibition's intent to explore technology's impact "from below," examining its effects on people and communities rather than a top-down narrative.
The centennial exhibition will delve into themes such as bioethics, the intersection of Indigenous knowledge with tools like 3D printing and algorithms, and the material toll of technology, including data centers and water consumption. Chakravorty emphasized a neutral stance on technology's inherent good or bad, noting that "writing is a technology. Cave painting was a technology," and asserting that AI will not "kill art."
For those eager to experience the renewed Skyspace, a public unveiling event is scheduled for November 14 from 3:30 to 6 p.m. Remarks by Henry Executive Director Kris Lewis will precede the exterior illumination at 4 p.m. Admission is free, although RSVPs are encouraged, and interior viewing will be limited to 25 people for approximately 10 minutes at a time.
FAQ
Q: When will James Turrell's "Light Reign" Skyspace be relit for the public?
A: The public unveiling and relighting event is scheduled for November 14, 2026, from 3:30 to 6 p.m., with the exterior illumination beginning at 4 p.m. Admission is free.
Q: What kind of technological upgrade did the Skyspace receive?
A: The artwork received a complete overhaul of its lighting system, replacing older LEDs and neon tubes with approximately 840 new LED fixtures and a sophisticated control system that synchronizes light programs with local sunrise and sunset times.
Q: Why did the Skyspace need this extensive renovation?
A: The original lighting system, installed in 2003, reached the end of its lifespan around 2015, making it impossible for the Henry Art Gallery to operate the light programs as intended by the artist James Turrell. The upgrade restores the artwork's full intended experience and enhances its capabilities.
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