James Turrell Deer Shelter Skyspace 2006 An Art Fund Commission Courtesy the artist and YSP at Yorkshire Sculpture Park

James Turrell: Deer Shelter Skyspace

Art Outdoors /

James Turrell: Deer Shelter Skyspace

James Turrell’s practice is concerned with light and space, and he has been building Skyspaces since 1974. A Skyspace comprises a chamber containing only seating, lighting and an aperture in the ceiling through which to view the sky. They give space for thought and alter our perception of light.

In 1993 Turrell stayed at YSP’s Archway Lodge whilst working on a commission for the Henry Moore Sculpture Trust Studio in nearby Halifax. Whilst exploring the landscape he became fascinated by an 18th century deer shelter in what was once the estate’s Deer Park. He drew up plans for a Skyspace within the structure, but the project was not realised until 2006, when The Art Fund enabled the commission through their generous support.

The Deer Shelter Skyspace creates a place of contemplation and revelation, harnessing the changing light of the Yorkshire sky. It allows us to take time to sit, to think, and to contemplate; an open invitation to access a peacefulness that is often denied in our busy lives that abound with technology and speed.

  • A room with concrete bench seating and a square hole cut into the ceiling revealing the sky
  • A group of young people inside the skyspace, looking up to the ceiling
  • The view from a brick archway out over the countryside with a blue, cloudy sky
  • The view through a square hole in the roof of Skyspace, showing a blue sky with clouds.
  • The view through a square hole in the roof of Skyspace, showing a blue sky with clouds and airplane trails
  • James Turrell Deer Shelter Skyspace 2006, An Art Fund Commission Courtesy the artist and YSP at Yorkshire Sculpture Park

You might also like

  1. Three tall thin bronze sculptures looking out over the landscape
    Art Outdoors

    Henry Moore: Upright Motives No. 1 (Glenkiln Cross): No 2; No 7

    Moore created twelve Upright Motives in the mid 1950s. In their powerful symbolism these pieces owe much to the tall, upright stones, known as menhirs, from prehistoric times. Moore brought all these influences together to create forms which are unmistakably his own.
  2. Henry Moore Large Totem Head at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
    Art Outdoors

    Henry Moore: Large Totem Head

    This sculpture is enlarged from a much smaller work made five years previously called Head: Boat Form and the resemblance to a hollowed-out boat remains clear. However, unlike that sculpture, which sat horizontally, Large Totem Head is raised to a standing form, assuming the totem-like presence of its title.
  3. A white road sign with ARCADIA in black letters, outdoors near to some trees
    Art Outdoors

    Leo Fitzmaurice: Arcadia

  4. Henry Moore – Large Spindle Piece at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
    Art Outdoors

    Henry Moore: Large Spindle Piece

    Large Spindle Piece was based on the shape of a piece of flint with protruding points that Moore found near his Perry Green home. It was also greatly inspired by Moore’s fascination with Michelangelo, which had begun almost 50 years earlier. A Royal Academy Scholarship had enabled Moore to travel to Italy in 1925 where he visited the Sistine Chapel.