The new Skyspace by artist James Turrell was officially dedicated last week at the SW corner of Roosevelt and Halsted. This being the first fully accessible one to the public, it is a different experience than his previous Skyspace’s.

James Turrell has done several Skyspaces throughout the world, with several in the US. This is the first for Chicago. They are usually fully enclosed, but because this one is public, the bottom is completely open. To overcome the surrounding sounds of traffic, he incorporated falling streams of water to muffle the noise.

Inside, you begin to understand it’s purpose. I can see how this could be serene.

The sun shining through the top creates a moving oval of light, shifting throughout the day.

I was there this past Sunday, and it was a cloudless day… So, I waited around until I could finally see something besides the pure blue sky.

From the far corner of the lot, you can see how it fits into the streetscape. Overall, I am not a big fan of the pinkish color chosen for the structure, I feel it already looks faded and will just look more faded as it ages. I was also a bit surprised at the opening not being perfectly shaped. Looking at the image above, you can see just how misshapen the oval really is.