Light and art! Tec de Monterrey presents artwork by James Turrell

Designed as an observatory that creates a visual experience through a sequence of lights, “Skyspace: Spirit of Light” by American artist James Turrell has come to Tec de Monterrey.

This interactive project, which is part of the DistritoTec Arts Corridor, engages spectators through the limits of visual perception and the nature of light itself.

“Skyspace: Spirit of Light” was presented on February 22 at Plaza Florecimiento on the Monterrey campus to the institution’s associates, the Monterrey government, and the community in general.

“This isn’t my light, and in fact, this isn’t my experience. It’s yours. This is a piece that belongs to Tec de Monterrey. Ultimately, I’ll leave it here and people here will know more about it than I do,” said Turrell in a video.

“I’m very happy to have this piece here. It involved a lot of work from everyone who participated in its construction. Monterrey has become an incredible, modern, and vibrant city. I’m happy to be a part of that.”

The piece is located in Central Park’s Plaza Florecimiento. It was created to pay homage to the life and work of Don Eugenio Garza Sada and Eugenio Garza Lagüera.

The work was overseen by DistritoTec, the Tecnológico de Monterrey’s Arts Initiative, and Laboratorio Arte A.C.

DistritoTec unites the community through art 

During the presentation ceremony, David Garza, Rector and Executive President of the Tec, said that the new artwork is a symbol of humanism and sensitivity that mixes science with art.

“It makes me think about a concept we’ve been discussing at the Tec: people think of the Tec as a high-tech institution, but the Tec is also a high-touch institution.

“It’s an institution that’s sensitive to the needs of the community, that connects and forms bonds, in which the humanism that characterizes us is becoming increasingly visible,” said Garza.

The institution’s executive president added that the Skyspace contributes to enriching the public art of Tecnológico de Monterrey, the city, and Nuevo León.

“The lesson is clear: we can transform and revitalize our communities by working as a team with all sectors and with a shared vision focused on people.

“We thank the Garza Lagüera Gonda family for their generosity and support in making ‘Skyspace: Spirit of Light’ possible,” said the rector.

According to Mario Adrián Flores, Vice-President of the Tec’s Monterrey Region, the institution can make an impact on the community, fostering art and innovation due to the talent of those who are a part of it.

“We have over 20,000 students on this campus, and we’re sure that this talent, along with that of everyone working at the institution, will enable us to continue transforming our campus and our community,” said Flores.

“This isn’t my light, and in fact, this isn’t my experience. It’s yours. This is a piece that belongs to Tec de Monterrey. Ultimately, I’ll leave it here and people here will know more about it than I do.” 

Sheila Ferniza, Head of Urban Environment Design at DistritoTec, said that Turrell’s work has come to strengthen the public art program at DistritoTec.

“This great piece of art couldn’t have found a better home than in the Central Park and the Arts Corridor at Junco de la Vega, places that are filled with life every day. What we’re presenting is also a statement.

“It’s a piece of art in a university whose vision has to do with human flourishing, located in a square that’s open to the public at street level. It’s further proof that other ways of making cities are possible,” said Ferniza.

During his message, Luis Donaldo Colosio, the mayor of Monterrey, said that DistritoTec embodies the conviction that cities should be focused on people’s quality of life.

“This Spirit of Light reaffirms and illuminates the commitment by all sectors to do what is in our power to achieve a ‘human’ city where art and culture nourish our spirits.

“Where they strengthen community ties and encourage the creation of new ideas. For Tec de Monterrey and the Monterrey community, it’s a source of pride to experience this artwork that reclaims and reassesses public art,” said the municipal president.

 

Turrell ‘illuminates’ the Tec 

Twice a day, once in the morning and once during the evening, “Skyspace: Spirit of Light” seeks to offer spectators an optical experience for them to perceive light and space.

“Skyspace: Spirit of Light”, installed on the Monterrey campus, is the first artwork of its kind in Nuevo León, and the third in Mexico. One piece is located in the Sinaloa Botanical Garden, and the other in the Tree of Light Amphitheater in Yucatan.

“If the important thing is for people to have the experience you want them to have, you have to create the things that help make that happen. The piece has to exclude parts of the campus and of that life.

“It’s a very urban piece, and it tries to shape this experience so that it’s transmitted and received. That’s where ingenuity comes in,” said the artist.

Turrell has over 90 ‘skyspaces’ around the world. These artworks consist of structures used as observatories through which people can observe the sky.

The piece has a 1,700-square-meter footprint and has become an emblematic piece in DistritoTec’s Arts Corridor.

The artist ‘of light’

James Turrell is an American artist known for his interactive installations that engage viewers with the limits of human perception.

The creator is known for the “Light and Space” movement, which is related to optical art, minimalism, and geometric abstraction.

Turrell has received multiple awards, including the MacArthur Fellowship in 1984 and the National Medal of Arts in 2013.

“Skyspace: Spirit of Light” will open to the general public in March. More details on how to register for the experience will soon be announced.

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