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Olafur Eliasson

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Olafur Eliasson is a Danish- Icelandic artist who is credited for his sculptures and large scale instillations that reflect nature through the use of elements such as light, air temperature and water to enhance the audience’s experience of the work. The boundaries of different disciplines, within Eliasson’s works, are often blurred and technology is used to serve his artistic vision and further his ideas; enhancing his work and forcing the audience to solely focus on the subject without being distracted by the technology. Eliasson comments the most exciting part of his art-making is, “the moment where the fact that it is digital will go unnoticed, and the fact that it is art will be the focus.” Technology assists Eliasson’s art-making to progress …show more content…

It is a high quality solar powered LED lamp that has now become part of a global project that is “connecting the world through sharing light.” The social business’s main objective is providing clean, reliable, affordable light to the 1.1 billion people worldwide who do not have access to electricity. Eliasson worked with a team of engineers to design the beautiful lamps that now allow for children to study in darkness; the lamps are a symbol of potential and opportunity for education and ultimately a better life through the pursuit of dreams. Light acts as Eliasson’s muse in Little Sun and not only does the work alter our perception of the surrounding environment, but it is also art that is used to set into motion a global social change. Eliasson comments, “I have an obsession with light. How light forms a space. How a space forms light. As a child I grew up in Iceland where there is no sunlight in the winter. It simply stays dark all day. Light became [something that] pulled people together. Light became a way of connecting to other people. Light is social. Light is life.” In Little Sun, Eliasson uses technology to express his “obsession with light” and help change the world, “sharing the light” with those who lack it; creating bonds and links within humanity, between countries and peoples. His artwork not only reflects the beauty of nature but is also a tool that can be utilised by many. Eliasson says that his work is “a work …show more content…

Eliasson takes a ubiquitous topic that is commonly used universally to create ‘small talk’ and uses it as a foundation for exploring ideas about experiences, meditation and representations of the weather. The expanse of Turbine Hall is completely taken over by representations of the sun and the sky, where a fine mist filters the space, forming clouds and then diffusing. The ceiling of the hall is covered in mirrors that reflect the audience and the mists below. The sun is made up of a semi-circle of hundreds of mono frequency lamps, the other half of which it reflected in the mirrors, creating a full sun and connecting the real space and the reflection. The uses of the mirrors create a whole landscape and create a space that has depth that is created by a reflection of reality, allowing the audience to fully immerse themselves within the artwork. Eliasson uses technology to draw attention to how individuals perceive the surrounding environments and he explores the variations in the comparison of the ephemeral elements of nature to the unpredictable weather outside. Eliasson views the weather as one of the few fundamental encounters with nature that can still be experienced in the city. He explores how weather has shaped the city and how the city becomes a filter through which one can experience the weather. The artist also uses technology to establish

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