The artwork entitled “Wedgework 3” was created by the artist James Turrell in 1974. It is a prominent piece within the Light and Space movement, an art movement that emerged in Southern California in the 1960s, focusing on perceptual phenomena such as light, volume, and scale. “Wedgework 3” is part of Turrell’s “Wedgeworks” series and is categorized as an installation, which explores the viewers’ perception through the manipulation of light.
“Wedgework 3” presents a careful orchestration of light within a constructed space, creating an illusion of depth and volume. The artwork plays with the viewer’s visual and spatial understanding by presenting a seemingly tangible partition of space that is in fact shaped by the use of artificial light. The subtle gradations of color and the interplay of light and shadow across different planes introduce a sensory experience that defies the traditional conceptions of materiality and presence. In this manner, the work invites an introspective interaction, encouraging the onlooker to question the nature of reality as mediated by light. Through this piece, Turrell effectively transforms the physical environment into an ethereal and contemplative experience, characteristic of his oeuvre and the broader Light and Space movement.
