17 Jan 2019
Kanye West lends support to James Turrell's Roden Crater installation
BY Andrew Manns
Transdisciplinary designer and musician Kanye West has donated US$10m (€8.7m, £7.7m) to help fund the still unfinished Roden Crater – an atmospheric complex situated within a 400,000-year-old volcano in Arizona.
Designed by American artist James Turrell in the 1970s, the subterranean space, which – some have said – can induce altered states of consciousness, features a series of passageways, chambers, and amphitheatres.
Along with Turrell's iconic Skyspaces, Roden Crater has also drawn comparisons to the surrealistic work of Swedish mystic and painter Hilma af Klint.
West, who recently announced his visit to the art space on Twitter, called his experience "life-changing".
"We all will live in Turrell spaces one day," he remarked.
The rapper-cum-producer, who was trained at the American Academy of Art, has long been involved in the global art scene. Just last year, after announcing the creation of his architecture studio "Yeezy Home" and being spotted hobnobbing with Swiss architect Jaques Herzog, West announced that he would teach a course at the Art Institute of Chicago.
Although the Roden Crater's operator – the Skytone Foundation – has not outlined a timeline for the completion of the project, it could debut sooner than originally expected.
Skystone and Arizona State University are currently preparing a $200m plan to prepare the installation for public viewing.
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