“My work is not so much about my seeing as about your seeing. There is no one between you and your experience”. James Turrell
Cat Cairn: the Kielder Skyspace is a sculptural artwork located on a rocky outcrop overlooking Kielder Water & Forest Park by internationally renowned American artist James Turrell. The artwork consists of a short tunnel that leads to a partially buried circular room, a ceiling containing a central circular oculus or opening, and a ring of seats forming the lower part of the inner wall.
The nearest public parking is at the car park sited just off the C200 at the bottom of the forest road signposted to the Skyspace, and beyond to the Observatory. Walking to the Skyspace takes around 45 minutes, by bicycle, approximately 20 minutes depending on ability. The return downhill trip is considerably quicker by bicycle. Visitors should note that the Skyspace is approximately 360 feet/110m higher than the bottom car park and while the route is not a difficult walk, the additional elevation makes the site more exposed, and it is often colder and windier up on the hill. There are also excellent views across Kielder Water & Forest Park from the Skyspace. Visitors wishing to drive up to the sculpture will need to get a key to pass through the forestry barrier beyond the lower car park. Keys are available from Kielder visitor centres, the local shop, the Anglers Arms in Kielder village and from the Calvert Trust activity centre. Skyspace can also be accessed by following the Lonesome Pine red grade mountainbike trail.
Map Ref:
NY 613928
Cat Cairn: the Kielder Skyspace is a sculptural artwork located on a rocky outcrop overlooking Kielder Water & Forest Park by internationally renowned American artist James Turrell. The artwork consists of a short tunnel that leads to a partially buried circular room, a ceiling containing a central circular oculus or opening, and a ring of seats forming the lower part of the inner wall. The main structure presents an overall feel of simplicity and quiet away from the visual distractions found outside. We often experience the sky as being ‘far away’ because we see it disappearing behind trees, hills or houses. The Skyspace removes these clues and when seen from inside, the sky is often perceived to be right on top of the space, or sometimes intruding into it. Visitors will find themselves in a space where the artist manipulates our normal perceptions of light and space. In daylight hours, this chamber; illuminated only by natural light through the roof opening, is a contemplative space that presents the ever-changing sky as a moving picture for visitor’s enjoyment and meditation. As the light conditions change at dusk and dawn, a ring of hidden lights illuminate the upper part of the chamber and visitors can expect to experience a highly unusual display of tone and colour lasting up to an hour. James Turrell is interested in the psychology of perception, essentially how our brains work to make sense of the world around us and ‘invent’ a reality to fit the information that our senses provide. In the Skyspace a visitor’s experience of colour becomes particularly challenged and the sky viewed from within the space often appears very different from the same sky seen outside. However, visitors are reminded that this is by its very nature, an individual experience, and no two people will ‘see’ the same thing.
A 10 minute walk up the forestry road beyond the Skyspace is the site of the Kielder Observatory where visitors can walk around its decks in the daytime or attend astronomical events in the evening.