Skyspace plan dropped
Friends House refurbishment to go ahead, without James Turrell ‘Skyspace’
The plan to incorporate a visionary ‘Skyspace’ by the distinguished American Quaker artist James Turrell in the redevelopment of the Large Meeting House at Friends House, London, has been dropped.
Trustees for Quakers in Britain have, however, agreed to go ahead with an ambitious £4.25 million refurbishment of the large meeting space and, instead of incorporating the Turrell option of a retractable roof, have decided on a plain, fixed, glass roof light. It will be located in the centre of the ceiling.
Trustess released a statement on Friday 11 May stating that ‘they heard concerns that to install the major artwork may be in conflict with the Quaker commitment to become a low-carbon sustainable community and may not be a right use of money’.
The minute stated: ‘The central importance of light, both natural and artificial, in the installation resonates with the longstanding significance of light in the expression of faith for Quakers. There are many who are enthusiastic about this aspect of the Skyspace. However, we have also heard of concerns that the installation does not necessarily reflect our concept of the Light being from within, reflecting our experiential approach to spirituality and faith’.
The refurbishment is the latest phase of work to make Friends House more sustainable. Solar panels have been added, along with energy-efficient lighting, wall insulation and heat-exchange systems. This phase will see the Large Meeting House, break-out areas and toilet blocks, become more accessible.
To fund the work, including the plain fixed glass roof light, Trustees have set aside £4.25m out of the £6.6m raised by selling a long lease on nearby Quaker-owned Courtauld House. The James Turrell installation would have cost an additional £1.4m.
Trustees heard calls to retain the traditional plainness of Meeting houses and concerns that a major artwork might not be in line with the Quaker commitment to simplicity.
The work will start in June 2013 after Yearly Meeting and take one year to complete. The first Yearly Meeting in the refurbished space will be in 2015, with planning already under way for the 2014 event to be a residential meeting outside of London.
The full text of the Trustees’ minute is available at bit.ly/FHrefurb
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