HOUSE OF LIGHT

My partner Barry and I, during our one month tour back to Japan in the fall of 2019, were invited to visit Niigata by our friends Kanako and Katsuya, who are residents there. Niigata prefecture is known for their delicious rice, ski parks, and also the Echigo Tsumari Art Triennale. Amongst the most notable art sites is the James Turrell House of Light, in Tokomachi. I jumped at the opportunity to not only visit but stay the night in this light immersive/interactive art structure. I had been working on a canvas series dealing with color combinations and how certain colors seems to “set off” the other. I was luckily able to make a reservation (required for overnight stays) 3 months in advance for the last available slot we could manage before leaving Japan.

The Beauty of Shadows …

We stayed at the house with another group of two, which was nice because I expected that there would be more of us. While the experience is meant to encourage dialogue between visitors, it is also nice to be able to appreciate the quiet beauty of the house and rooms more freely. Our guide gave us a tour and went over rules and instructions, but then we were left on our own. There were two light “programs”, the first began at sunset and the second was scheduled for the following morning at sunrise:

What I was most excited about was being able to see how certain colors would resonate against the open sky. We all lay on the tatami looking up into the square, our eyes always adjusting to each change in color. It was fascinating to see how the square would shift: the periwinkle sky suddenly becoming blue against the yellow ochre, later turning smoky gray against the aquamarine electrifying it, the edges of that box undulating against the red — and even though I studied the effects of color in a design class, it was like magic to see it shifting live.

We opted to order a catered seasonal dinner made locally, although there is a full working kitchen in case you prefer cooking yourself. We could not pass up eating as much delicious Niigata rice, in this case Uonuma Koshihikari. Afterwards, it was quite the experience to bathe in the Light Bath – it felt like being inside a spaceship or other futuristic time. You could see the interplay of light and shadow within the water.

The sunrise program was my favorite as it felt not only like a visual experience but sensorial. Being the start of winter, the open roof let in the cold air – it was a constant reminder that we weren’t just viewing a stationary box, but one that was alive. At times we saw birds fly across our periphery and the clouds getting swept around. It made me very aware of the space I was in, the space outside and how, at the moment, we were existing harmoniously ❀