The impact of one artist, Olafur Eliasson has been tremendously positive in a space where you typically find attention-seeking shock and awe art projects. He is known for his large scale art exhibitions that use light, architecture, ecology, and digital design to challenge the assumptions many of us make about design and perception. In this blog post, I am focusing on Olafur’s art that invites us to touch climate change and learn about the global need for light. These projects transcend museum spaces and ask us to experience the problems with our senses.
Little Sun Project by Olafur Eliasson, evolved from his installations which exploit the visual perception of light and light effects. In 2012 Olafur a Denmark born conceptual artist developed and launched the “Little Sun” light project bringing light to people who need it most. This project engaged the global community to help distribute the Little Sun solar-powered suns to communities in Africa and other countries where electricity is not available, and light can not be accessed easily.
Ice Watch bringing attention to climate change by Olafur Eliasson and Minik Rosing
The project was a huge undertaking for the artist Olafur Eliasson and Geologist Minik Rosing. The blocks were picked out of the ocean near Greenland, packed into nine refrigerated shipping containers and then brought by truck to the two sites in London, where they will melt away. Placing the ice coincided with the start of the COP24 meeting in Poland, with the aim of inspiring urgent public action against climate change.
While the art exhibit was aimed at a political event the first-hand experience of watching the glacier ice melt, touching it, hearing it speak when air bubbles escape to the surface really did make global warming real and helped people understand the emergency. “It is a lot more physical; it suddenly gives a stronger sense of what it is they’re talking about when they say the Greenland ice caps are melting,” explained Olafur. “Feelings of distance and disconnection hold us back, make us grow numb and passive. The ice arouses feelings of proximity, presence, and relevance that we can not experience otherwise”.
Ice Watch by Olafur Eliasson and Minik Rosing, Place du PanthÈon, Paris, 2015
Additional Links:
Olafur Eliasson website link: https://www.olafureliasson.net/
Netflix’s Abstract Season 2- https://archinect.com/news/article/150159858/netflix-s-abstract-season-2-to-profile-olafur-eliasson-neri-oxman