Olafur Eliasson
Olafur Eliasson was born in 1967. He is a Danish–Icelandic artist known for sculptures and large-scale installation art employing elemental materials such as light, water, and air temperature to enhance the viewer’s experience. In 1995 he established Studio Olafur Eliasson in Berlin, a laboratory for spatial research. Olafur represented Denmark at the 50th Venice Biennale in 2003 and later that year installed The Weather Project in the Turbine Hall of Tate Modern, London.
Your uncertain shadow (colour):
- Illuminated
- Movement
- Shadow
- Uncertainty
- Feeling Present
The first piece I chose to explore is called 'Your uncertain shadow (colour)'. It is made up of five different coloured spotlights that are aimed at a white wall. The projectors are arranged in a line on the floor which creates the duplication of the shadows in different colours. The colours combine to illuminate the wall with bright lights. When the viewer enters the space, their shadow is projected where each coloured light is, which records the movement from slightly different angles. It appears on the wall with five different coloured silhouettes. The dark shadows are created when all the five lights are obstructed. As the viewer moves around in the space their silhouettes shift in colour and intensity and scale. I decided to look at this piece as I am incorporating shadows into my own video and I was fascinated by the use of shapes and movements, as well as how it is unique to each viewer. I was lucky enough to visit this exhibition before lockdown so I got to see this piece in person. It was interesting how this piece was displayed large scale and how it permanently changes.
Din blinde passager:
- Journey
- Blindness
- Light Intensity
- Heighten Senses
- Enclosed
This piece is made up of an extremely long corridor that temporarily blinds the visitors by bright fog surrounding them stripping them of their use of sight. They only have their other senses to orient themselves. As they progress through the corridor, they move through zones of different hues. I decided to look at this piece as the fog strips the identity of the people surrounding you as well as trapping you in an never ending confined space. When I went through this art piece, it gave me a panic attack and I though I was going to pass out as I felt like it was never going to come to an end. I felt like I was suffocating as soon as I saw the smoke as it felt like I was going into the unknown. It was quite scary as it really does feel like you have gone blind. You also can't see the people around you because of the thick smoke which makes it feel more isolating. The best part of the piece was the coloured lighting changing from yellow/orange to blue as it changed to mood completely.
Your uncertain shadow (colour), 2010
Din blinde passager, 2010
