Visiting the Skyspace

Tucked away through an easy to miss doorway, the skyspace appears, from just outside, to be a goofy, oddly painted kind of storage room. "Is this it?" we said to the bored UW student posing as a security guard, but she was too busy staring at the floor to respond. Inside, the exceptionally bright and clean walls and hand carved wood benches are precisely shaped to mess with the viewers sense of space: the room feels small and large at the same time, drawing you in to figure out why (We stopped to review what substances might have been in that post-lunch brownie, but confirmed the sensations were created entirely by the space itself).

After we found the nerve to sit (in an art gallery you never know), it became apparent that the ceiling wasn't there: it was the sky. Something in the curve of the opening makes what's visible part of the room, not something miles away. There was every invitation to lean back, forget the world and comfortably let minds wander, our eyes taking new pleasure in watching Seattle's suddenly magical clouds roll by.

Where: Henry Art Gallery, UW Campus 15th Ave/45th st.
Cost: $8, Free Thursdays

Details on the Skyspace and James Turrel, its architect: www.henryart.org/skyspace.htm