Prompts for Proportion to the Universe

September questions about seeing where you stand

I.
I visited MASS MoCA last month in North Adams, MA. The museum has several James Turrell light installations on view, including one where you walk through a pitch dark, narrow corridor into a second room that’s lit by a barely discernible glow. The effect completely disconnects your sense of sight and spatial awareness; the posted signs request that you sit in the space for 15 minutes.

As I waited, twitching, there was a decided turning point: my pupils opened and the shape of the room snapped into focus. My sense of scale was completely off: I thought I was in an auditorium, but the size was actually closer to a small bedroom.

II.

I’ve shared this before, but it’s been a while since I wrote about how Moon Lists started. Nearly a decade ago I was reading a magazine on a flight and came across an interview with Sam Abell, a former National Geographic photographer. (He’s now in his 80s, residing in the Smokey Mountains.) In the piece, he mentions a monthly ritual he and his wife had devel…