Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson is known for large-scale installations. He often uses light and water to impact the viewer’s senses. He works in his Berlin studio with a team of 35 people who include artists, technicians, art historians and cooks. (Just imagine the future Rowanberry Studio, up and out of the basement, with a full staff including a personal chef . . . heehee).
His projects are numerous and quite varied, as you can see for yourself on his website, olafureliasson.net. I am hardly projecting a whole vision of his body of work in this little blog – I am choosing such a limited amount of pieces to share. It was hard to choose, but I focused on my favorite pieces that involve light and water.
Olafur Eliasson, Notion motion, 2005
This installation consists of three rooms, linked by a long, elevated wooden walkway. The movement of people walking through the space affect the ripples shown on the projection screen. Read more about it here.
Olafur Eliasson, Yellow Fog, 1998/2008
Yellow Fog illuminates the Verbund building in the city center of Vienna, Austria. It rises up at regular intervals from the street level to the roof. Read more here.
Olafur Elisasson, Beauty, 1993
Beauty involves the use of a spotlight, water, nozzles, wood, a hose and a pump. This piece is one of several in an installation entitled Your Rainbow Panorama. Like Notion Motion, the art changes in response to the viewers walking through the space.
Just by looking at these tiny blog photos, I feel like I am standing in space, within light and color in an other-worldly, endless place. I can only imagine what it’s like to be there in person. Then to move . . . and have the living art change to your movement . . . would be a completely immersing, all-encompassing art experience.