James Turrell's 'Within without'

Within without is a major Skyspace by American artist James Turrell, one of his largest and most complex to date. Light is Turrell’s medium, and his Skyspace is a viewing chamber that affects the way we perceive the sky. Commissioned by the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, Within without is located in the Gallery’s new Australian Garden on the south side of the building.

We enter the work via a long sloping walkway. Inside is a large square-based pyramid with soft red ochre interior walls. A stupa made of Victorian basalt rises at the centre, highlighted by turquoise water. The stupa contains the viewing chamber—a simple domed space, open to the sky. A moonstone, set into the centre of the floor, echoes the oculus above.

Within the Skyspace, light seems more painterly. Movement and sound are intensified, the sky shimmers and pulsates. Within without is at its most dramatic and complex at dawn and dusk, marking the transition between night and day.

In asking us to take the time to notice these subtleties, Turrell reveals the immensity of the natural world and the beauty of celestial architecture. Within without offers artlessness, simplicity, unhurried perception. Within without has been constructed as part of the Gallery’s Stage 1 building project.