Installation art of Olafur Eliasson - Research Paper Example

OLAFUR ELIASSON’S INSTALLATION ART I. Introduction Art allows artists the freedom to exercise with just any material to express their creativity. In the recent past, artists have taken this freedom to higher unique levels and have been using elemental materials such as humidity, water, air temperature, and light to come up with unique pieces. One such artist is Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson.Thesis statementOlafur Eliasson is one of the unique artists who use elemental materials to come up with unique art; he transforms the perception of reality into experiences by inserting massive installations of nature in places where they would never be imagined such as public spaces.

Points of discussion Purpose in Eliasson’s installation art Scale in Eliasson’s installation art Balance between nature and artifice in Eliasson’s installation artII. Purpose in Eliasson’s installation art1. The Weather Project in London’s Turbine Hall2. The purpose of the installation is to create an artifice of the sun, allowing visitors to “engage” closely with nature.III. Scale in Eliasson’s installation art1. The New York Waterfalls at the New York harbor2. Created the project to allow people in the city to experience and appreciate their relationship with nature of immense nature.IV. Balance between nature and artifice in Eliasson’s installation art1.

The Infinite Staircase in Munich, Germany.2. Creates a perception of balance between reality and a public space in that the staff may walk on it for as long as they need without getting too far from their offices.V. Conclusion Concisely, these works sufficiently prove that Olafur Eliasson successfully transform the perception of reality by inserting massive installations of nature in artificial settings.IntroductionArt allows artists the freedom to exercise with just any material to express their creativity.

In the recent past, artists have taken this freedom to higher unique levels and have been using elemental materials such as humidity, water, air temperature, and light to come up with unique pieces. One such artist is Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson. Olafur Eliasson transforms the perception of reality by inserting massive installations of nature into public spaces as this research study will reveal.To create The Weather Projectin London’s Turbine Hall, he made a large circular disc using multiple monochromatic lamps to create a sun radiating yellow light.

Additionally, he created artificial mist in the hall using humidifiers casting a mixture of water and sugar then finished it by covering the ceiling with a large mirror1. The installation comes off as a large sun casting yellow rays into a dense mist. Visitors lie on their back and see themselves as tiny black shadows immersed in an ocean of yellow light. The purpose of the installation is to create an artifice of the sun, allowing visitors to “engage” closely with nature2.The New York Waterfallsinstallation at the New York harbor is a composition of four gigantic [artificial] waterfalls ranging between 90 to 120 feet high3.

Eliasson created the project to allow people in the city to experience and appreciate their relationship with nature of immense nature. The size of the installations, which rise high above eye view creates an enhanced feeling of rare experience that the townsfolk are rare with. In this case, he brought the perception of reality (waterfalls) into a public space (New York City), allowing people to familiarize with the proportion of such occurrences as they are in nature without visitng them4. The Infinite Staircase in Munich, Germany, is yet another of Eliasson’s unique perception of reality in a public space.

It is a swirling staircase that connects to itself and appears like an optical illusion (it seems to ascend and descend simultaneously. He created it for the KPMG staff5. It creates a perception of balance between reality and a public space in that the staff may walk on it for as long as they need without getting too far from their offices. The transformation of reality lies in the fact that rather than take an actual walk in a park or other forms of nature, the staircase substitutes this and allows one to have a similar experience within an artificial setting6.

ConclusionAs is evident in the discussion, Eliasson’s installations transform the perception of reality by inserting massive installations of nature into public spaces. He uses different elements and principles of art to do this. For instance, The Weather Project allows visitors to engage closely with nature, representing its purpose. The immense New York Waterfalls allow visitors to see the scale of natural features within an urban setting. Finally, The Infinite Staircase allows people to “take long walks without getting far”, thus creating the perception of nature such as taking an actual walk.

Concisely, these works sufficiently prove that Olafur Eliasson successfully transform the perception of reality by inserting massive installations of nature in artificial settings.BibliographyGodfrey Mark & Bennett Rosie, “Public Spectacle: Interview with Brian O’Doherty”, Frieze 80 (2004).Juxtapoz, “The Infinite Staircase by Olafur Eliasson”, Juxtapoz.com (2012): http://www.juxtapoz.com/current/the-infinite-staircase-by-olafur-eliasson (Accessed 5 Feb, 2015).Public Art Fund/City of New York, “About the Exhibition”, Publicartfund (2004): http://publicartfund.

org/view/exhibitions/5717_the_new_york_city_waterfalls (Accessed 5 Feb, 2015).Remesar Antoni, Urban Regeneration: A Challenge for Public Art. (Barcelona: Universitat de Barcelona, 1997).Smith Roberta, “Cascades, Sing the City Energetic”, The New York Times (2008): http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/27/arts/design/27wate.html?_r=0 (Accessed 5 Feb, 2015).Tate, “About the Installation: Understanding the Project”, tate.org.uk (2003): http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/exhibition/unilever-series-olafur-eliasson-weather-project/understanding-project (Accessed 5 Feb, 2015).