Nov 12

Lachlan Turczan | Water & Light Artist

American artist and designer Lachlan Turczan, who brings together elements of water, light, and sound in his art, offers meditative experiences to viewers. In his works, light reflects off the movement of water, flowing dynamically as if it were a living entity, allowing each viewer to form a unique connection with these interactions. Inspired by California’s iconic light and space artist James Turrell, Turczan uses water as a medium to transform light into not only a visual experience but a tactile one as well. We had a conversation with Lachlan about his creative practice and his work.

Interview: Onur Çoban

You use natural elements in your art, such as water and light and combine them with sound. What was the moment or experience that first made you turn to these elements and how would you define your practice?

I started working with light because I came from a painting background and wanted to engage with light in a more direct way. While studying painting in college, I attended a 2013 retrospective of James Turrell, a Californian light and space artist from the 1960s, which left a lasting impression on me. I was fascinated by the idea of working with light itself rather than traditional media. My goal was to use light in a natural, tactile way, using my hands instead of relying on computers, LEDs, or equipment made by others. Water felt like the most intuitive medium to achieve this. I began by filling small pools with water and reflecting light off of them. When the surface of the water was disturbed, the reflections on the wall shifted instantly. This concept of ‘touching’ light through water as a medium was deeply inspiring to me, and eventually, sound became a tool to shape the water in my work.

The vibrations of water in your works give us a deep sense of inner peace. What do you think is the reason why these vibrations are so effective on the human mind?

I believe these patterns reflect the natural forms found at every scale in the world around us. And that’s part of why we, as humans, are drawn to frenetic patterns—they act as a doorway to our imagination, allowing us to see them in many different contexts. Whether it’s the shape of a flower, a mountain range, the structure of cells, or even solar phenomena, these patterns connect us to something much larger. For me, this is what excites me about working with sound. It’s not just about the emotional connection we have with music; it also taps into the essence of natural phenomena—like staring into a fire, where it can remind us of nature in all its scales.

Actually I am also wondering how you create your works. In your works, technology and nature almost touch each other. Is technology a tool that strengthens your artistic expression or is it a structure that transforms the natural experience you create?

We're always exploring and creating new ways to work with water, light, and sound. It's a constant collaboration. I have a business partner, Kevin Izard, who is an engineer, and we've been working closely together for the past two and a half years. A key aspect of our work is the technical understanding of how these different forces—optical, sonic, and acoustic—can be combined. Our practice is very technical, but at the end of the day, what matters most to me is the experience. The goal is to create an effortless, natural feeling where the technical or technological aspects aren't immediately obvious. The final result should be something deeply human, much like experiencing something in the natural world.

You mentioned that you work with an engineer, right? Do you have a studio, or do you work individually? Are there other people from different disciplines you collaborate with?

Yes, I have a studio. I work with a mechanical engineer, who’s really important to me—he’s like my business partner in this. Everything we do is a collaboration between engineering and artistry. We also work with a computer programmer and a music technologist to handle many of the other interactive elements of our work.

Sympathetic Resonance, 2023

Shaped by Water creates a space where the movement of water is felt almost like a meditation. What does the feeling of ‘meditation’ that you want to present to the audience in this work mean to you? Could you please share your experience during this exhibition.

The Shaped by Water exhibition was a project I created in collaboration with Google, where I had the opportunity to debut an artwork that I began working on while I was still in college—my thesis project. The piece you're referring to is called Wavespace. It's an artwork that aims to present sound as a liquid light phenomenon. In the installation, we use sound to vibrate a pool of water, which acts as a liquid lens, reflecting and refracting light onto a 16-foot diameter screen overhead. We even created couches for the audience to lie down beneath it, so their entire visual field is filled with these water reflections. It’s a very immersive experience that deeply intertwines the senses.

Like I mentioned earlier, you can see things like planets, cells, flowers, mountains, explosions, or even life and death. Many people say they perceive the genesis—the beginning of life—and also death when viewing it. These are natural phenomena that occur when you engage with this type of experience.

Wavespace, 2023

"For me, the most important aspect is providing an opportunity for people to experience this phenomenon and allow them to perceive whatever they want from it."

Ultimately, that's all I'm really interested in—giving people the chance to experience something I've been deeply fascinated by and working on for the past 11 years. I don’t have any specific narrative structures to impose. It's meditative, in the sense that it allows people to relax and look upward, but for me, the most important thing is that people have the chance to engage with this phenomenon."

Can you tell us about the sources of inspiration behind your work? Who are the names you follow with curiosity in this field or in different disciplines?

I’ve always been a huge fan of James Turrell’s work, as I mentioned earlier. Robert Irwin, who sadly passed away earlier this year, was also a major inspiration for me. I’m also really drawn to scientists. I’m fascinated by people studying vibrational phenomena—Einstein, for example, whose biography I recently read, has always been incredibly inspiring to me. I admire individuals who are pushing the boundaries of human knowledge. The idea of humanity continuously learning and discovering more about the universe is something that really excites me.

Seism, 2024

What is next for you? Are you excited about the future?

I’ve been focusing a lot more on light recently, creating light sculptures that exist within the landscape. It’s been an exciting direction for my work. I’m also working on something really thrilling where we’re bringing these light sculptures into a gallery or more intimate museum setting. This will be premiered in 2025, and it’s definitely something I’m looking forward to.