'Dividing the Light'

Artist James Turrell’s light and space installations can be found around the world. Since its beginning in 1974, the artist’s Skyspace series has grown to include nearly 90 unique installations, including one at his alma mater, Pomona College.

Nestled between two academic building’s on the college campus, Dividing the Light consists of a small covered courtyard with a fountain and an illuminated canopy that frames the sky above. The canopy is illuminated by LED lights that rotate through a series of colors throughout the day. Every hour between sunset and sunrise, they “chime”, rotating through a series of colors over three minutes, and longer light shows take place daily at sunrise and sunset.

This particular installation has dazzled viewers with its environment-specific light programs since 2007. Catch the sunrise program beginning approximately 40 minutes before sunrise, and the sunset program beginning 10 minutes before sunset.