Twilight Epiphany Skyspace By James Turrell Reviews

Definitely worth a visit. Something to check off your "Things To Do/See in Houston" List.

It was a little adventure to find it but that's what added more fun to finally seeing it! Unfortunately weren't there in time to see it with lights but just as is was amazing! The top level gave you an amazing view of the skyline and an awesome feeling! The lower level was my favorite, the way you feel and then standing right in the middle and seeing straight up how beautiful it aligned with all the bright stars and sky. Definite recommend for a small date or stargazing will be back!

Beautiful art structure at Rice University. It happens every day, rain or shine at sunset. People start lining up about 20-30 minutes before. A volunteer comes out to explain the meaning behind the art piece and you can sit and listen and watch as lights decorate the structure.

It's a really great place to meditate or just come enjoy the view. I actually liked the view from outside of the structure more than inside.

Free light installation art that you can enjoy at sunset.Arrive about 30 minutes before sunset if you want a seat, otherwise you might end up standing.

Although constructed to allow for recorded or live music, tonight was silent, but still a beautifully contemplative experience.

Come without expectations. It's an evening of meditation, reflection, and subtle engagement. It's not flashy, not strobe lights, not Disney.

Paid parking is available, but I suggest you bike or walk.

Particularly recommended for groups of family and friends, however I would also suggest it is a marvelously contemplative thing to experience on your own.

I love james Turrell's work and I felt fortunate to be in town and being able to visit this work. Unfortunately, there was a large crowd and they were unfortunately noisy making the experience less than ideal. The campus security, for some unknown reason, left a golf cart park in the center of the structure.

I guess when I first saw this 5 years ago, not many people knew about it and despite my snarky attempts at humor in my last review, it really was a nice experience; however, I recently got a chance to check out Skyspace again and was a bit shocked at how much the instagram "look at me" types are ignoring the rules and ruining the experience for everybody else.

Let's forget and forgive the fact that many people were taking photos inside despite the rules and being reminded by a nice lady who works there that the artist wants people to experience it. Everybody has cell phones...I get it. Just take a quick snapshot and forget it.

...But nope, that's not enough. There was a photographer outside with not 1, not 2, but 3 remote controlled mono-lights taking photos of his wife and kid and each bright flash would just bounce all over the place.

...but wait there is more! there was a young woman with a thong going halfway up her back climbing the top of the art piece while someone from the ground was taking her photo. This went on for a while and then another dude got up on top posing for the photos and before you knew it, there were a half dozen people treating it like a photo studio and a giant softbox.

I'm not exaggerating either and if anything am downplaying what was going on. They were using flash, bringing in props, climbing things, and completely ignoring every single rule about it. I really think the lady who gave the speech about the piece at the start should stick around for a few hours after sunset and remind people about the rules.

My husband and I spent twelve hours in Houston last month and decided to visit the Twilight Epiphany Skyspace, as it was a quick thing to do near where we needed to be. We went at around 5:30 on a Monday evening, not realizing that we were sort of missing the point by showing up an hour too early for the light show, which runs at sunset and sunrise (we had to leave before sunset).

It was still cool, an impressive James Turrell Skyspace installation on the Rice University campus. We were able to park in a nearby garage pretty easily and paid a few dollars for our fifteen-minute visit. There was a couple taking engagement photos in front of the artwork, which made it a little hard to navigate, but we walked around and through it, taking it in from all angles. We enjoyed the view of the sky framed from inside the installation. I'm guessing if you miss the light show, this is the main point of the thing.

Anyway, it was worth a quick visit as long as we were in the area, and I'd recommend it if you want to see one of the most famous public artworks in Houston. Just plan better than we did if you want the full experience of Twilight Epiphany.

Decided to go spontaneously, was a great decision. Better to go into it with little expectation, a very subdued atmosphere & no pets allowed. You aren't supposed to talk above a whisper, and the show is about 40 minutes long, so not a good environment for kids. Paid $6 for parking but the exhibit itself was free. If you're in the area I would highly recommend paying it a visit especially if you're into sunsets!!

Interesting experience. Colors on the "frame" change as you observe the colors of the sky change at twilight.

Very nice and peaceful. The sunset matched with the different color lights creates a nice peaceful feeling. Don't expect a light show. The lights change every few minutes. It is designed to bounce the lighting of the canopy with the sunset to create a harmonic feel.

I tried going a few times, it's good if you are a Rice University student. No parking, you might get towed if you park on the only street. Also the times I went was during the peak hours the website said to go and nothing happened. Worth looking at through pictures but in person not so much. Too much work for nothing.

We came for the sunrise show this morning and nothing happened yet they posted on the website there would be a sunrise show at 6:31 am and it also says on the website it happens rain or shine. Beside myself and my sister, 7 other people were waiting to see this. This was truly disappointing after waking up early, trying to find this place, and paying for parking. I advise the skyspace to keep their website updated. Or if you plan a visit in the morning, confirm that they are actually doing the show.

You have to pay to park, but the event is free. We went to the sunset light sequence. I'm not sure if I expected more from this or just don't really get art. It was basically just the light changing color and reflecting off the square roof. It was pretty but we only stayed for maybe 10 minutes max. There are benches on the upper level and inside the structure at the bottom level. There are restrooms in the music building.

So this place is very serene especially I guess because its the summer. So silent.

Its very pretty HOWEVER, I think I might be to stupid to understand what I was actually suppose to experience. I was waiting for it but saw nothing. I wasn't moved.

I still suggest you go because its just something to do in Houston. And perhaps you'll experience what I did not.

A nice thing to do in the evenings as a group, individual or couple. Its really relaxing the busel of the city. The lightbox event last about 30 minutes. The Rice U campus is so pretty but it sucks that you have to pay for parking. $6 for one hour so if you can avoid it or ride a bike, do it.

Have you been to the Houston Museum of Fine Arts? Did you LOVE that tunnel? You know the one I'm talking about. The Skyspace is done by the same artist.

It is a pleasure to watch the sunset from the Skyspace. The opening at the top seems unreal or maybe like screen. The colors are tranquil and you don't even feel like you're in the city anymore. I highly recommend coming here alone or on a date. Also a great visual if you're high on life ;)

Let's talk about why this place is great. First, this is free 99. That's right fellas. Bring your date here for free. And the best part is she/he will think your cultured AF. Second, on a more serious note, it was awesome to watch. I've been here multiple times and every time different feelings come up. If you're coming alone I would suggest bringing a guided meditation or headphones for music.

Some helpful tips:
1. Park at the stadium and walk over.
2. Arrive early. There's a student who gives you a little history on the piece a few minutes before sunset. So make sure to park and walk over with enough time to hear the speech. Also if you go on weekends, there will be quite a few more people than normal.
3. I like to sit on the top so I can see the skyline and the little square. But there's always space on the downstairs/inside part as well.
4. Bring earbuds, meditation guides, earplugs, whatever you want to make it special!
5. Be respectful of others and don't talk too loud if you must talk. They also discourage photos but I've seen many people take them.
6. Stay for the whole thing! It's worth it!

Sunrise sequence is a bust.... the lights never started.

Best parking is the central campus garage. Just up the elevator and then you are just outside the structure.

I went with my fiancé at sunset. It is a very tranquil place. Lights are projected onto the roof. You can sit inside or at the top rim. The university has a large lawn in front of the structure that adds to the tranquility.

Looking for something mellow, free, and a wee bit off the beaten path? The Twilight Epiphany light sequence at Skyspace, which takes place at sunrise and sunset (consult the website for daily times), is a cool art installation that inspires you to slow down your breathing as you look skyward and take in the shifting colors. The pacing is more tai chi than power yoga, so don't go in expecting a fast-paced light display scored to music.

I made reservations for the evening sequence, but there was no one checking, so you could probably drop by sans reservation. If you're crowd-averse and a morning person, the sunrise show is likely a better bet. There is seating up top and down below; while the upstairs viewing area seemed more popular, I actually preferred the perspective from ground level myself.

Very cool exhibit on Rice University's campus. It is required you get tickets to reserve your spot. I stayed for about an hour from a little before sunset until the end.

Parking in the visitors lot is the easiest and is $1 for 15 mins. You can also park in the neighborhood but somewhat of a longer walk is required as the first couple of streets near Rice are permit parking!

I have attended at sunrise & sunset. I recommend sunrise if you want more of a quiet meditative experience. The sunset is more popular and tends to be full of people.

We just happened to come here during the 2017 Spring Equinox. It's recommended to get reservations earlier in the day, but probably not necessary.

There is no cost other than parking. If there's a game, plan on arriving at least 20 minutes earlier than the 15 minutes before sunset start time. That said, I thought the later phases of the evening light was visually much cooler with the contrast

There's plenty of seating on both levels and people matriculate out. I enjoyed the top level better with the city skyline views and University views.

Very cool, unique, and free thing to do in Houston, especially of you've been on your feet all day.

The Skyspace has a light show every sunrise and sunset which is a great free art attraction, if you're looking for one. Furthermore, you get to walk through the always beautiful Rice University campus and take in the excellent architecture.

during our visit we had a docent standing by helping everyone with questions, giving general information and wagging their finger at the folks whipping their phones out for pics/videos. Photography is prohibited unless you're outside of the structure, which I agree with, since the person next to us kept pulling their phone out distracting us with their bright screen as our eyes adjusted to the setting sun and colors.

This is something to bring measured expectations to though. Do not expect a planetarium lazer light show with music and crazy effects. It's really just a peaceful change of colors that lasts until the sun has completely come up or gone down, depending on what show you catch. There's a square cut out in the center of the skyspace that frames the sky above and washes color all around it as the lighting slowly changes. Pretty neat. Reminds me a lot of minimalist Marfa art, if you've ever been out West.

Five stars because it's a cool structure that changes to many colors. One can get their zen sitting there for 30 minutes!!
You can meditate. Relax. Namaste

Truly a wonderful sight to see and with a calming since of natural lights. I took my wife here to see this wonder art piece and she had a great time. The anticipation for dawn never felt so wierd, the count down to see the lights and the skyspace was just so relaxing it hard to describe. Many people show up for these events and make sure if your planning on see this in the summer, bring a hand held fan.
A nice place for a first date, and for a group outing. The surrounding building of Rice University makes it a more pleasant atmosphere for the place of hearts.

This is a nice free event for Houstonians to visit! I definitely want to try this during the sunrise one day, if I can get myself to wake up early enough.

I did not make reservations and they weren't really checking reservations when I had went. There is an option to make reservations on the website, but this might be useless. Before ten minutes of the sequence time, it starts to get packed. I came about 20 minutes before to snag a seat on the second floor. According to the student that gave a brief introduction, there are at least 80 installations across the nation (or the world) and this one at Rice is the first one that's two stories along with being acoustically engineered for concerts. You could see the speakers installed on the first floor.

She gave a brief introduction, do's and dont's, and mentioned to ask her any questions we may have. Some of the don'ts are no flash photography and because the place is a space for meditation, no talking allowed... or if you had to say something, to be respectful of the sound because every little noise can echo. Phones need to be on silent. They discourage taking pictures when you're under the skyspace... I couldn't help myself and snapped a few, but I was quiet about it. (shame on me)

For a space of meditation, it's really not an ideal place to actually meditate, only because there are kids that want to move around and you're awkwardly sitting close to a stranger. It is a great place to watch the sequence, clear your mind and appreciate the little things in life we take for granted.

I was only able to stay on the second floor for about 20 minutes before wandering outside to catch a glimpse of the sequence before it was over. It's really amazing!

It's a nice place to lay out a blanket to just relax and watch the sequence on the lawn next to the skyspace.