Six abutting mirrors taper upwards to form this hexagonal kaleidoscope. The top is covered, and the interior is lit in a single tone of yellow light. The work feels like something built for the space programme. The abutting mirrors reflect the shape again and again, conjuring the illusion of a planet or sun floating in the virtual space above.
Plastic garbage floats around inside this kaleidoscope, circulating around within it like ‘space junk’, as the artist calls it. From outside, visitors can see the tubes and pipes that conduct air into the shaft to keep the garbage in motion.
The yellow light that fills this work is the same that Eliasson has used for a body of works that extend back to the nineteen-nineties. Immersing the space in a single colour of light heightens our awareness of details and of contrasts. The longer the visitor stays inside the space, the more their eyes adjust to and correct for the yellow hue, reading it as a new ‘normal’. Upon leaving, they find that the world suddenly appears saturated in a purplish tint, the complementary colour to the yellow lighting.
Artwork details | |
Title |
Device for seeing potential solar futures |
Year |
2024 |
Materials |
Stainless steel, aluminium, mirror foil, fans, light diffuser, mono-frequency light, fabric, wood, plastic bags, helium balloons |
Related | |
Solo shows |