Atmospheric Qualities of Spatial Light Art: A psychophysiological and phenomenological investigation of the embodied experience in As Seen Below - The Dome, A Skyspace by James Turrell
Authors
Monrós Rivera, Marta ; Lee, Hyunsung
Term
4. Term
Education
Publication year
2026
Submitted on
2026-05-26
Abstract
This thesis explores how the experience of spatial light art is registered in the body, using As Seen Below – The Dome, a Skyspace by James Turrell at the ARoS Art Museum in Aarhus, Denmark, as a case study. The theoretical framework draws on Gernot Böhme’s idea of atmosphere as the felt quality of space, on Juhani Pallasmaa’s and Hermann Schmitz’s views of bodily experience, and on breathing as a basic physiological gateway into different experiential states. A mixed-methods study with 12 participants combined pre- and post-experience surveys, a post-experience interview, and physiological measurements. Four main findings emerged: First, the experience of As Seen Below extended beyond the dome’s physical boundary and began in the tunnel, growing in intensity toward the space. Second, light functioned less as illumination and more as the primary atmospheric quality through which participants understood, oriented themselves within, and experienced the space. Third, the experience was consistently marked by a pleasant coexistence of opposites: the light was described as both smooth and intense; participants reported an “active calm”; and physiological data showed signs of both calm and activation. Fourth, bodily sensations aligned with Schmitz’s concept of the felt body as an oscillation between contraction and expansion, suggesting that the atmosphere of As Seen Below was lived through the body. The findings indicate that light is not only functional or aesthetic but an atmospheric quality that shapes how a space is perceived, felt in the body, and ultimately experienced. The thesis proposes that lighting design can benefit from an atmospheric intention informed by how light shapes bodily sensations.
Specialet undersøger, hvordan oplevelsen af rumlig lyskunst afspejles i kroppen, med As Seen Below – The Dome, et Skyspace-værk af James Turrell på ARoS i Aarhus, som case. Teoretisk tager det afsæt i Gernot Böhmes idé om atmosfære som rummets følte kvalitet, i Juhani Pallasmaas og Hermann Schmitz’ forståelser af kropslig erfaring, samt i vejrtrækning som en grundlæggende fysiologisk indgang til forskellige oplevelsestilstande. Et mixed methods-design med 12 deltagere kombinerede spørgeskemaer før og efter oplevelsen, et efterfølgende interview og fysiologiske målinger. Fire hovedfund fremkom: For det første rakte oplevelsen af As Seen Below ud over kuplens fysiske grænser og begyndte allerede i tunnelen, hvor intensiteten tiltog på vej mod rummet. For det andet fungerede lyset ikke primært som belysning, men som den centrale atmosfæriske kvalitet, som deltagerne brugte til at forstå, orientere sig i og erfare rummet. For det tredje var oplevelsen præget af en behagelig sameksistens af modsætninger: lyset blev beskrevet som både blødt og intenst, deltagerne rapporterede en “aktiv ro”, og de fysiologiske data viste tegn på både ro og aktivering. For det fjerde kunne kropslige fornemmelser forstås i lyset af Schmitz’ begreb om den følte krop som en pendlen mellem sammentrækning og udvidelse, hvilket peger på, at værkets atmosfære blev levet gennem kroppen. Resultaterne peger på, at lys ikke kun er funktion eller æstetik, men en atmosfærisk kvalitet, der former, hvordan et rum opfattes, mærkes i kroppen og i sidste ende erfares. Specialet foreslår, at lysdesign kan styrkes ved at designe med atmosfærisk intention og opmærksomhed på, hvordan lys påvirker kropslige fornemmelser.
[This abstract has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]