She's spent a lot of money on what I suppose is a vanity project - after all you wouldn't name it after yourself if you weren't in it to show off a bit!.
I'd only seen one Turrell piece before (in the Faith Zone of the dome) so was interested in finding out a bit more. There were five pieces (I know it's not about numbers, but I did feel a little short changed for my tenner), two were projected shapes created from a single light source and the remaining pieces were created by reflecting light from various sources into chambers cut out from the wall.
The reflected pieces really appealed, beautifully precise and strangely captivating - a mix between wondering at the subtle changes as your eyes and mind adapted to the light and trying desperatly to work out how it was done.
The building itself is textbook converted warehouse; polished concrete floor - check, lots of smooth white vertical surfaces with shadow gaps - check, liberal amounts of satin stainless steel fixtures and fittings - check. It all felt a little empty and unloved, there were more staff than visitors, large areas of the building were shut off by photocopied A4 signs stuck to doors. It had the feel of a failing Millennium Project rather than a new beacon of contemporary art.
On leaving I asked what was coming next and was delighted to hear that the very wonderful Gerry Judah is going to be exhibiting in the near future. I worked with Gerry on The Glenlivet distillery visitor centre - he created a stunning, sculptural centre piece made from the whisky bottles for us and was a joy to spend time with. I look forward very much to seeing his work in a gallery context.
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