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"House of Light" in the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale, a living art installation by James Turrell

In the midst of a vast expanse of fields in Niigata, Japan sits a living art installation by James Turrell. It is a living piece of art installation because the sky in nature becomes the moving and ever-changing element of the artwork. Turrell has a very deep insight and understanding of the sky’s natural colours during the golden hours of sunset and sunrise. Coupled with his precise use of light, colour, lux levels and openness to the ever-changing light qualities, this art installation titled the "House of Light" in the rural areas of Tokamachi is truly a contextual work of art.

"House of Light"’s aperture in Tokamachi, Niigata in Japan. Image by Von Chua.

The "House of Light" is situated within the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale; it was a project initiated by Art Front Gallery, a Tokyo gallery to connect nature with art. The yellow signage is a clear indicator when one arrives at the Echigo-Tsumari Art Site; it actually encompasses a huge expanse of area, spanning over 187,000 acres of agricultural land and numerous vacant buildings within the Niigata region. The "House of Light" was specifically realised in the mountainous city of Tokamachi, a tiny city with approximately 28,000 inhabitants. I arrived in the area by car, surprised by how peaceful the entire area is, and how snow was still preserved in parts of these mountains in the month of April.

Around the year 2000, James Turrell was given a brief to design a meditation house. In the accompaniment of that design brief, was a copy of one of my favourite books - In Praise of Shadows by Junichiro Tanizaki which I first read as a first-year architecture student. For the "House of Light", James Turrell mentioned that the book was a key driver to create the house in the traditional architecture of this region; this is unique to any other Skyspaces by James Turrell in the world. He said “I wished to realize the world of shadows we are losing, as a space where one can experience living in light, by relating lighting inside to light outside.”

Light Program in the early morning. Image by Von Chua.

The experiences at the "House of Light" are irreplaceable and irreplicable because the variables in nature are huge, but Turrell embraces this to draw a truly unique experience for those who have stayed overnight at the "House of Light". The Light Program happens twice a day, once just before dawn and another just before dusk; the exact timing will be addressed during check-in. During my stay, it occurred at 5:58pm and an excruciatingly early 4:11am for a night owl, but totally worth the disrupted sleep. It is operated simply by a few self-operated buttons, turning on the light on the ceiling and light in the wooded frame, retracting the "House of Light"’s movable roof to unveil the natural elements, inviting the colours, shadows, wind, silence, sound, and glimpses of nature (I saw a pair of birds flying past!) into the main observation area, which is the tatami-lined living space. Lasting over an hour each, the Light Program forces one to focus on the light, colour and atmosphere, that is also when your eyes become adjusted and senses heightened to detect the minutest change in the sky.

After the evening Light Programme, we went out to enjoy dinner. Exiting the "House of Light"’s entrance, a beautiful surprise welcomed us to the area - one of the nicest starry night sightings, so filled with stars, shining brightly without any obstructions, including clouds that you can spot constellations.

Starry night at the "House of Light". Image by Von Chua.

Another feature of the "House of Light" is the Light Bath or forest bathing when experienced during the day. The discreet sliding doors allow the evening cool air to enter the bath area, whilst one is soaked in warmth within a space with fibre-optic lights. The lighting within the Light Bath itself was slightly underwhelming, but nonetheless, the experience of soaking in warmth in a fairly large pool of water was pleasant.

In summary, the key features of James Turrell’s Skyspaces are as follows:

• Aperture; across all of James Turrell’s Skypace, the immediately striking feature is a central aperture that provides one a direct view of the sky, whether is a square or ellipse
• Light and colour; an exploration of how light (natural vs. how it interacts with his programmed artificial lighting) and colour affect our experience of space, and how our brains interpret visual information
• Space of contemplation; James Turrell designs the Skyspaces for contemplation, often extremely minimalist but with a sense of grandeur, allowing the aperture and what one sees beyond it to activate the experience

The view seen on check-out day. Image by Von Chua.

The "House of Light" is one of the many Skyspaces in the world, but one that is clearly rooted in Japanese architecture, Japanese culture and unmistakably situated in the outskirts of Japan.  To visit or stay overnight, details are available on this website.