This optical device, whose aluminium shell is square in profile and lined on the inside with mirrors, features four semicircular steel rings lit by LEDs that intersect each of the mirror walls respectively and are spaced evenly down the length of the device. Peering into the mirrors’ reflections, the viewer finds the LED semicircles reflected and repeated infinitely in a pattern that recalls an insect’s compound eye. The viewing machine, which rests on a steel frame, widens down its length, offering the visitor two distinct kaleidoscopic engagements with the surroundings.

With his kaleidoscopes, Eliasson explores his continued interest in the act of seeing. His various optical instruments – amplifiers of seeing, or viewing machines – question perceptional habits, inviting the viewer to a more open, felt experience. This kaleidoscope not only transforms an otherwise normal visual environment into an abstract pattern of colour and light but also blends this pattern with the fantastic reflective collage produced by the lit rings.