James Turrell’s ‘Irish Sky Garden’ (1990) James Turrell’s (@jamesturell) Irish Sky Garden transforms the very act of looking into an immersive experience.
This utopia where the clouds meet the grass is known as the Sky Garden, a remarkable installation by Californian artist James Turrell on the Liss Ard Estate near Skibbereen in West Cork.
After completing the garden in 1992, Turrell said: ‘The most important thing is that inside turns into outside and the other way around, in the sense that relationships between the Irish landscape and the Irish sky changes.’.
Turrell, who is known for designs that heighten viewers’ perception of light and sky, was commissioned by the then-owner of Liss Ard Estate, German art dealer Veith Turske.
At its heart lies a central stone plinth where one can recline and watch the sky framed by the edges of the crater—a perfectly designed “celestial observatory.” Turrell’s work bridges light, space, and perception, using the natural world to shape how we see and feel.
