Lose Yourself in Ringling's Skyspace Sunset

Suddenly the white-lit room soothed into a lavender tone at a courtyard inside the Searing Wing to kick off wonderment and a show.

Thursday was the first night of at the Ringling Museum, where for about an hour, visitors can see and absorb images through an aperature, or a huge square opening in the ceiling, that reveals views of sky, in relation to the color tones of the room.

It’s created by artist James Turrell using LED, synchronized lights that are supposed to manipulate your vision as you sit on a slightly angled cypress bench, which I felt could have used more of an angle or a recliner, because my neck was begging for a chiropractor by the end, after looking up and craning for so long. 

It’s meant for audiences to forget about everything else — e-mail, tweets, Facebook — and just see sky and light. 

I’m sure the artist and museum would forgive me, though, when I tweeted during the show how wonderful the exhibit is.

Experiencing the show Thursday night, I wasn’t sure what I was in for at first. I just decided to stare off into space, making sure my eyes didn’t move — and that reveals the true show.

It’s sort of like perusing one of those magic 3D comics, where you stare intently or for some, cross-eyed, for an image to be revealed.

In this case, the different color tones both absorb the room and your vision.

Sometimes it’s like you’re absorbed into space, and the color and sunset blend in. The sky is the ceiling, is the ceiling is the sky.

That is the moment. It’s just you and the sky — and your thoughts, or lack thereof. There’s something serene about a mostly silent room and just looking at the universe like it’s swallowing the room.  I welcomed it after a stressful day and it was moreof a breather than I had anticipated.

You can try and watch videos of other Skyspace exhibits online, but they don't do this show justice. No photography or video is allowed of the Skyspace at Ringling, but the museum plans to release images of the show soon.

At other times, the bold yellow, amber tones provide a sharp contrast between the sky and the room creating an excellent optical display. 

A passing plane, a twinkling star or planet make the show more interesting, but equally was the reactions I overheard. 

One man wondered aloud, what was exactly going in, and said it would be great to have an explanation because he wasn’t sure what he was looking at. The man had a point.

It was difficult to guess when the show started until you could really notice the lights shift. 

A simple two-minute speech in the courtyard by staff would be helpful welcoming folks to the show, and a couple words about what we’ll experience and the background of the work.

Staff do tell you at the door about when the show begins and ends, but I forgot half of it before the start, wondering when I’d get the signal when it would end. When the room returned to neutral white light, that’s the cue.

You could stay there really all night until the museum kicks you out, as the show continues on a cycle through the night.

Another man took the seat of the curious guest, and it was a 180. The man exclaimed how cool it was, and talked of color theory and the one-dimensional field that plays on your depth perception with the use of light. 

Skyspace is really a show for everyone, like any piece of art; we each interpret it differently. 

Joseph’s Coat Skyspace sunset show runs Thursday through Sunday through March 25. Non-members cost $5 and museum members are free. Seating is limited to 56 per evening and guests should arrive 30 minutes prior to sunset.

The regular show is included with museum admission and plays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Wednesdays and Fridays through Sundays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursdays.

Tickets are available by calling 358-3180 or online at ringling.org.