I saw one of his pieces (rooms) at the Indianapolis Museum of Art in the early 90's(?).
I stood before the "painting" for a long while trying to understand the unusual, luminous quality it had. One of the museum security told me that this was the only painting in the museum we were allowed to touch. Even standing with a foot of the work I couldn't tell that it wasn't a painting at all.
Of course, as I leaned in to touch the piece my hand past the point where it should have come in contact with mass. It was momentarily disorienting.
Only disorienting for a moment? I still remember that odd (and even enlightening) experience. It was just as you described. I'm so glad that someone else has had that experience!!
Now, I just drove (rather quickly) through Indiana to get back to New England after our trip west, so I didn't have time to study the landscape much (and I was also totally absorbed in a book on CD....it made the trip go so much faster.) But what I'm increasingly interested in is the varying quality of the landscape from state to state, and region to region. Can you tell me what differentiates Indiana from the other states of the union? Do you know any artists who have captured what you feel is quintessentially Indianan (is that the right adjective)? And could you even say that Turrell has caught some of the abstract essence of the American landscape, or does he seem to represent the western sense of space and light more than that of the east?
Probably too many questions, but they are worth a try.
Any readers, ask the same of your state and let me know what you are thinking.