Visions: Designs & Entertainment by CDK - Portals: A James Turrell Inspired Light Project

This project started as a research assignment at East Los Angeles College. I and three other students were to research the works, history, and techniques of lighting designer James Turrell. His works utilize color, shape, and shadow from different light sources to create spaces where viewers are to think more about the observable experience than any deep meanings. I eventually took on a lead design role for the project.

Research

The project involved into a group effort to create a piece inspired by Turrell’s past works. Of all his works the pieces that most influenced our designs were his Hallways, Divisions, and Skyspaces. The hallways put viewers in a space of transition usually where their vision is saturated in a color that contrasts or complements an upcoming room or exhibit. Divisions tended to be a space behind a wall or barrier that was a single color that interacted with the color of the wall or ambient light to shift our perception of color. And the Skyspaces were multiple levels of LED lights surrounding a constrained open view of the sky. The LEDs would change colors throughout the day skewing what color the sky appeared to be.

First Proposal

Our first plan was to utilize multiple spaces emulating different works but would each feed into each other creating a visual journey for guests. We were allowed lofty ideals at the beginning as to not stifle the creative process. There were plans at one point to even include a pool in one room.

1st Revision

We were asked to reel in our quite a bit due to budget and space constraints, which was a good lesson. This led to another brainstorming session, which lead to me proposing a design that encompassed a few different ideas into a single room. This design would have been in a large, darkened room with a seated audience perspective facing a series of panels with scaling apertures. Between each panel would be a set of color changing lights hidden from the audience, set to transition though colors in gradients. The goal being that the inner most panel and outer most panel were the same color, but because to the nearby colors they appear different.

2nd Revision

This design was also refined due to time and personnel, so I scaled it down to a 10’ by 10’ box and fewer panels. This design had us really thinking about how to practically accomplish the project like using paint instead of just light, and even collaborating with another department.

Final Design

Our final implemented design utilized only three panels made of custom theatrical flats painted white, hiding 6 elation LED cycs and 3 ETC Colorsource Linear 4’s. The LEDs were connected to a hidden ETC Ion board programmed to shift between about 15 color scenes that were sometimes subtle and sometimes drastic, but always with the idea of how the colors and intensities interacted with one another. The project was relocated to a corner of the room to be able to make use of some hung curtains to help control the light. With the whole cycle taking nearly 20 minutes to fully experience it was decided to add seating and an ambient soundscape to encourage viewers to stay and experience more than a couple of minutes.

Video Sample

Short video.mp4

The overall experience was finished in time for the end of the year gala and was received well by audience and teachers.

Credits and Contributors

Design Collaborators: Cameron D. Knowles, Megan Gonzalez, Yoni Vaknin, Josh Cortez, Francois-Pierre CoutureScenic Construction: Cameron D. Knowles, Efrain Corona, Megan Gonzalez, Yoni Vaknin, Josh Cortez, Francois-Pierre CouturePainting: Cameron D. Knowles, Members of the Spring 2022 ELAC Theater Practicum ClassProgramming: Cameron D. Knowles, Francois-Pierre Couture I do not own the research images presented which were found on James Turrell’s website, copyright and ownership belong to James Turrell and or the Photographer.