Climate Conscious

How does this artist use his work to advocate for the environment?

Ice Watch
Watch a video featuring artist Olafur Eliasson.

Some messages are difficult to express with words. That’s where artists come in. A striking work of art can turn an event that seems distant into a personal experience. Art can make abstract ideas more relatable. The artist featured here uses his work as a tool to make complicated topics more accessible.

Born in 1967, Olafur Eliasson (OH-la-fer el-EE-ah-suhn) grew up in Iceland and Denmark. As a child, he studied art with his father, who was also an artist. In the early 2000s, he realized he could use art to communicate about humankind’s relationship with nature. He often collaborates with architects and scientists to build his installations.

Olafur Eliasson (b. 1967), Waterfall, 2016. Crane, water, stainless steel, pump system, hose, and ballast. Chateau de Versailles, France. Photo credit: Geoffroy Van Der Hasselt/AFP via Getty Images.

How do weather conditions affect this sculpture?

Human vs. Nature

A cascade of water appears to fall from midair above the Grand Canal at France's Palace of Versailles. For his 2016 Waterfall, pictured above, Eliasson designed a steel tower, pumps, and pipes that transport water up from the basin. At the top, water is released, gushing back to the canal and masking the work’s underlying structure.

Eliasson uses the water as a material, manipulating nature for this monumental work. But even the most innovative artists cannot fully control nature’s forces. Blowing winds move the flowing water and reveal glimpses of the mechanics powering the surreal waterfall. “I’ve left the construction open for all to see—a seemingly foreign element that expands the scope of human imagination,” says Eliasson.

In the 17th century, French royalty favored carefully manicured gardens. They replaced a thriving forest and meadow with the gardens that still exist around the palace today, demonstrating human dominance over nature. Eliasson invites viewers to think about the connections among the human-made gardens, his work, and nature.

Olafur Eliasson, Ice Watch, 2015. Twelve ice blocks. Place du Panthéon, Paris, France, 2015. Photo credit: Jacques Brinon/AP Images.

How does the arrangement of the ice add to the artist’s message?

Meltdown

For his 2015 work Ice Watch, shown above and on the cover, Eliasson collected 12 blocks of ice that broke off Greenland’s ice sheet, a body of ice covering more than 660,000 square miles. He worked with a geologist to transport the ice to Paris. Then Eliasson arranged the large-scale blocks of ice in a circle in the Place du Panthéon, a popular public square, during a United Nations meeting about climate change.

The clock-like arrangement symbolizes the countdown toward the effects of rising temperatures and sea levels. Viewers experience Ice Watch with their senses. They see firsthand how fast glaciers melt, they hear the cracking sounds of ice melting, and they feel the cold. Eliasson believes art “can be more effective than just reading an explanation of something or looking at charts, graphs, and data.” Through this tangible artwork, he hopes viewers will develop an emotional response to the impacts of climate change and feel inspired to take action.

Olafur Eliasson, The Weather Project, 2003. Site-specific installation. Turbine Hall, Tate Modern, London, England. Photo credit: Chris Young /PA Images via Getty Images.

How does Eliasson transform this space?

Under the Sun

Eliasson draws attention to the sun’s power in his 2003 installation at the Tate Modern in London, above. The Weather Project is an exploration of the sun’s intense light. Eliasson installed it inside a massive five-story-tall space at the museum. He mounted a semicircular screen—backlit by approximately 200 lights—on a wall. He suspended reflective foil from the ceiling, creating a giant mirror. It seemingly doubles the room’s size and turns the lit semicircle into a radiating sphere. A machine diffuses mist into the space, adding drama.

The warm light produces the illusion that viewers are near the sun. However, Eliasson creates a disconnection in the senses. The temperature in the room doesn’t mimic the light’s warmth. Eliasson makes art that refers to nature while appealing to emotion, the imagination, and the senses. What message does Eliasson communicate in the works on these pages?

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