Diary – 21 October 2006

Finally the big week begins. In four days we open our new Institute — a 35,000 sq. ft former coachworks in Olaf Street, W11 — the home of our foundation. For the opening we have planned an exhibition of the extraordinary light artist James Turrell, with all 78 external windows to be lit in sequence, and over 25 pieces by Turrell inside. Strangely, it feels less real, like a dream, the more real it becomes. At the moment I’m looking forward to the last brush stroke (and praying it will take place before we open to the world) but we seem a long way from it right now. I suppose big ideas and intentions always come down to small details. At the moment the small details (but potentially huge problems) are the blinds. The Turrell windows all need full blinds to work properly. They are in place but refuse to come down electronically and we have to invent a way of getting them down manually.