COLORADO SPRINGS, CO.- The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center presents James Turrell’s installation piece, Trace Elements: Light Into Space, in conjunction with an exhibition, Places Apart, by Colorado College professor and artist, Scott Johnson, opening to the public on Saturday, July 14. The exhibition will be on display through Sept. 30.

Museum Director Blake Milteer said, “Turrell is one of the most compelling installation artists at work today,” writes the UK’s The Independent. “Visual art usually invades the head; Turrell hopes to invade the entire body.”

Turrell is an American artist whose work involves exploration of light and space. A Turrell installation provides an experience that is different for each viewer, and can be moving and thought-provoking.

“We consider ourselves fortunate to be able to bring an artist of James Turrell’s stature to Colorado Springs, a true giant in contemporary art,” said Sam Gappmayer, FAC President and CEO. “This exhibition, curated by our Museum Director Blake Milteer, comes to the FAC on the heels of our critically-acclaimed, award-winning 2010 exhibition, William Kentridge: The World is Process. And we are excited to pair Turrell with an innovative, local conceptual artist in Scott Johnson.”

The piece, Trace Elements, evokes a number of reactions. Westword wrote, “Trace Elements (is) a light sculpture exuding such visual magnetism that viewers may believe they’ve died and gone to heaven.”

For this installation, the Fine Arts Center’s large second-floor El Pomar Gallery will undergo a massive transformation. A large-scale viewing room is being built within the gallery to house Trace Elements.

The artist wants each patron to encounter the piece with no preconceptions, so the Fine Arts Center cannot describe specifics about the work or the experience.

Turns out the piece is “almost impossible to describe” anyways, according to the UK’s The Independent.

However, the Los Angeles Times reports the installation “exerted a profound effect on viewers.” The Rocky Mountain News called the piece, “mezmerizing.” Westword called Trace Elements “otherworldly” and “a thoroughly unreal environment.”