Designed by James Turrell and opened in 2018, the architecture of this unique work of art opens up entirely new dimensions - the open dome narrows the sense of space and perspective on the sky in such a way that a completely new feeling of space, time and thus consciousness is created.
The Skyspace Lech is a largely underground structure that blends into the landscape at "Tannegg” with great care. The oval main room has an oval opening in the ceiling and a circular bench which, like the floor, is lined with black granite.
After dusk falls, the light installation in the room bathes the walls and ceiling in changing coloured lights, so that the spatial structure, which was previously perceived as clean, seems to dissolve.
The Skyspace Lech is a newly created cultural highlight in Tannegg in Oberlech, which is accessible to visitors in both summer and winter.
The "Horizon Field” landscape installation (2010-2012) by Antony Gormley was the first major contemporary art project to come to Lech. It was not only enthusiastically received by guests and locals alike, but also generated an enormous international response.
The Horizon Field – Kunstverein Vorarlberg was founded in 2012 with the aim of permanently preserving this exhibition, which was created for the region by the Kunsthaus Bregenz to highlight Vorarlberg’s high-mountain landscape. After this attempt was unsuccessful, the association decided to undertake a new project with an internationally renowned contemporary artist. In cooperation with the Häusler Contemporary Gallery, the association succeeded in hiring James Turrell to complete a Skyspace project in Lech.
During his visit to Lech in September 2014, James Turrell was fascinated by the unique high mountain landscape of the Arlberg. In his estimation, the "Tannegg" location in Oberlech was an ideal place to bring to fruition his new underground Skyspace project.
Following his visit, James Turrell designed the Skyspace Lech in October/November 2014 specifically for the Tannegg site and produced some detailed design sketches for better illustration.
The ceiling opening can be opened with a movable dome, which is then illuminated with a second light installation. It irritates and distorts the viewer's perception in a colourful dialogue with the main room. Visitors access the Skyspace via a 15-metre-long tunnel that faces northeast and thus provides a direct line of sight to the striking summit of the Biberkopf mountain via the hamlet of Bürstegg. A path branches off the public hiking trail and leads to the tunnel entrance on the eastern side of the Tannegg hill.
