"Second Wind," Take #5 – Fundación NMAC, Vejer de la Frontera, Cádiz Province, Spain

James Turrell (born in Los Angeles, California in1943) is an artist who falls into the Land Art genre. The historical and artistic relevance of his work lies in his ability to examine the way in which we perceive light, and to isolate those features and present them to the viewer in each of his works. Instead of showing us the results of his research into the psychological perception of light, Turrell wants viewers to discover them for themselves, through their own experience. With his artworks, he offers us the chance to understand the various features of light and solar energy, and how the retina responds when faced with the changes in brightness and colour that take place throughout the day and in our planet’s two different hemispheres.

Second Wind 2005 is an architectural piece, located underground, in which viewers enter an inner pyramid, via a tunnel. Inside is a stone stupa, surrounded by a pool. Stupas are circular domes used in Buddhist architecture, and whose shape and position have the effect of making the cosmos appear closer. The passageway into the stupa leads to a room with a circular hole in the ceiling, open to the sky. Here, visitors can sit down and watch the changes of light "sculpted" by the artist. Turrell particularly recommends enjoying it at sunset, the moment of transition from day into night, when light is at its most intense and the colours of the sky are enhanced, altering the viewer’s perception of the sky as a space, a shape and an object.

The Fundación NMAC (the Montenmedio Arte Contemporáneo) is a unique space in Spain which explores the space shared by contemporary art and nature. The objective of the NMAC Foundation is to invite international artists to carry out specific artistic projects that are in tune with the landscape. NMAC is a cultural reference in southern Europe also for its educational and cultural programming.