The art of light b+s space - Jan Butterfield

This work investigates the phenomenon of light and space art, which originated in California during the late 1960s and which has become a movement of international significance. The artists included in this coverage are Michael Asher, Larry Bell, Robert Irwin, Bruce Nauman, Maria Nordman, Eric Orr, Hap Tivey, James Turrell, Dewain Valentine, Susan Kaiser Vogel and Doug Wheeler.;The book is based upon more than two decades of research. It is particularly useful because so much of the work discussed and described only existed briefly on specific sites, and a few of them were only seen by a few people at the time. Photographs, interviews and the author's own observations recreate those works.;The book argues that sight is only one of the senses engaged in this art, for many of the installations affect hearing, touch and perception as well as vision. This art form was shaped by many forces including the Southern Californian milieu, the artists' fascination with science, technology and psychology and their willingness to explore alchemy and metaphysics as readily as art history. The thinking of the artists and their processes of creating the works are often even more intriguing than the final results.