Eclipse Inspires New Music and Poetry

On April 8, Austin experienced a total solar eclipse. To celebrate the historic event, Landmarks invited award-winning musician Kelly Richey to create an eclipse-inspired composition for James Turrell's Skyspace, The Color Inside. 

During the eclipse, we welcomed friends of the program for a special viewing inside the Skyspace and performance by Richey. A video of the event is available below.

Prior to the eclipse, Richey served a multiday residency in the Skyspace, performing a series of hand pan improvisations to accompany Turrell’s elegant light sequence. One of the performances was captured as an interactive 360-degree video, allowing viewers to experience the music and light sequence from every angle. We invite you to explore this unique recording on YouTube.

The eclipse inspired others at the viewing, including poet and chair of the Department of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Dr. Lisa Moore. Moore captured her experience on April 8 with a poem entitled, Eclipse Glimpse. 

ECLIPSE GLIMPSE
James Turrell’s “The Color Inside” Skyspace, Austin, Texas
April 8, 2024

Sister-friend meets me at the Skyspace, 
leans her head on my shoulder. 
Jesse takes our picture and we look great.

This whole coming-and-going thing: 
clouds move in and hide the sun, 
then move on and reveal it, mysterious 

and sexy. The whole row of us leans.
Ten minutes out. Now it’s like dusk. 
Someone recommends looking at the sun 

through cloud cover, with naked eyes. 
Eight minutes out and getting dimmer. 
It’s supposed to be safe. I peek through 

my fingers—and it’s so beautiful—
but I’m afraid. Five minutes out. A bird 
flies across the skylight, very, very fast.

My heart expands and contracts. My heart 
is skyspace. A butterfly bops through, rests 
among us for a moment. We glimpse totality.

The Skyspace serves as a constant source of inspiration and is activated through multidisciplinary programming including Songs in the Skyspace, Landmarks’ monthly music series, and Sound Bath immersions hosted as part of our wellness offerings. 

The Skyspace is closed for UT Austin’s summer session due to construction on the rooftop of the William C. Powers, Jr. Student Activity Center (WCP). We look forward to welcoming you back this fall!