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Light and Space

Light and Space denotes a loosely affiliated art movement related to op art, minimalism and geometric abstraction originating in Southern California in the 1960s and influenced by John McLaughlin. It was characterized by a focus on perceptual phenomena, such as light, volume and scale, and the use of materials such as glass, neon, fluorescent lights, resin and cast acrylic, often forming installations conditioned by the work's surroundings. Whether by directing the flow of natural light, embedding artificial light within objects or architecture, or by playing with light through the use of transparent, translucent or reflective materials, Light and Space artists made the spectator’s experience of light and other sensory phenomena under specific conditions the focus of their work. Some people believe that the emergence of the art of light and space is largely due to the radiation and mild atmosphere in Los Angeles.Many artists have applied newly developed industrial materials in their work, including acrylic panels, fiberglass and so on. The focus of the Light and Space Movement is to use light to create colors and forms, similar to the technology used by California Impressionists. As a branch of minimalism, the art of Light and Space still has influence today.

Themes

Irwin and Turrell, for instance, investigated the phenomenon of sensory deprivation (which influenced the development of their similarly spare light works) as part of the art-and-technology program initiated by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 1967. Wheeler’s RM 669 (1969) comprises curved white walls encased by a floor and ceiling that seem to recede with every step one takes toward the square of light positioned on the far wall, rendering viewers unable to fix their eyes on any surface. For his series of works on the theme of alchemy, Eric Orr has used natural light as well as blood and fire in his environments that produce extreme retinal responses. Mary Corse's large white-on-white glass canvases have glass micro-beads embedded in the acrylic paint to create a surface that shifts dramatically with the light. Helen Pashgian created acrylic spheres, globes with an unreal glow, seemingly lighted from within. More recently, Gisela Colon, who has been recognized in ArtForum as a next generation light and space artist, has created "irregularly shaped wall mounted acrylic orbs... scarab-like objects achieve their iridescence via the play of natural light, yet the sculptures appear to change color as one moves around them, as if lit by multihued bulbs."

McCracken states the following. "I was always primarily interested in form alone, but then to make a form, you have to make it out of something. So color seemed a natural material to use, because color is abstract. If you make a form that appears to be composed of color, then you have something, an object, that's pretty abstract. Just form alone would be more abstract, of course, because it's just a mental idea, but you don't have anything there for your perceptions to grapple with unless you make it out of a material. However, if you make it out of metal, or stone, or wood, or whatever, then you have something that to my mind may overemphasize the physical aspect and therefore be difficult to perceive as purely mental. An important thought behind this is that all things are essentially mental - that matter, while quite real on the one hand, is on the other hand composed of energy, and in turn, of pure thought."

Peter Alexander, another contemporary American sculptor who was a part of the Light and Space movement during the 1960s once said that "I'm a romantic, and I believe in it. I believe in the value of things,", "I believe that objects can be made that can have an extraordinary effect on me and others.” The two basic elements of his art are color and light.Throughout his career, Alexander found his artistic inspiration from many sources, including the scenery, geometry, phenomenological effects of color and light, and the nuances of perspective in his hometown of California. His galleries—Parrasch Heijnen in Los Angeles and Franklin Parrasch in New York  said, “Whether through resin sculpture or velvet painting, Alexander actively sought to capture light through environmental sensation."

Exhibitions

Light and Space art from California was shown at Germano Celant's influential exhibition of environment-based art at the 1976 Venice Biennale, "Ambiente/arte dal futurismo alla body art". The movement has rarely been shown together, as Wheeler declined to be included in major museum exhibitions, because of his doubts that the works would be shown in the way they were intended, and Nordman refuses to be in group shows on Light and Space. In 2010, David Zwirner Gallery, New York presented an historic exhibition titled “Primary Atmospheres,” a term coined by art critic Dave Hickey to describe the contributions of Southern California artists to the Light & Space movement. As part of a series of exhibitions during the 2011 Pacific Standard Time initiative, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego held a major survey exhibition of perceptual art titled "Phenomenal: California Light, Space, Surface," organized by the museum's then curator Robin Clark.

In an attempt to share its collection with multiple communities LACMA began touring the Light Space, Surface: Works from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art to different museums and venues around the US. The collection was displayed at the Addision Gallery of America Art Phillips Academy in Andover Massachusetts, from November 23, 2021 through March 20, 2022 and from June 3, 2022 to September 4, 2022 at the Frist Museum. The works consisted of sculptures, paintings, and immersive environments. At the Frist Museum, the exhibition began with Norman Zammitt's painting Untitled (1984), followed by a gallery of works including Pastel Domes #1, by Judy Chicago. The exhibition then used Irwin's Untitled from 1966-67 as a transition to show that the works were moving from focus on the surface to the perception of the viewer. A room dedicated to Doug Wheeler's Untitled (Light Encasement) then moves to a full physical experience. The Frist museum displays various of James Turrells works, including the 1966 Afrum (White). The room showcasing Bruce Naumans work is different from the others as its walls were painted pitch black, and places the viewer in almost complete darkness. The room displayed two holographic glass images from 1968 Making Faces, that portray him with a playfully contorted face. Of the more recently created piece within the exhibition was Gisela Colon's work Untitled (Monolith Silver) (2016). To further enhance the multisensory exhibition the Frist collaborated with the Nashville Ambient Ensemble to compose new music inspired the works, to accompany them instead of the verbal commentary audio tour.