This small polyhedron is one of a series of sixteen, related, hanging sculptures, the product of decades of research undertaken at Studio Olafur Eliasson.
Three concentric polyhedrons, one nestled inside the other, project an elaborate array of geometric shapes, shadows, and colours onto the surrounding walls. The tinted-glass faces of the outermost form – an eight-sided solid known as a rhombic dodecahedron – are curved outwards to create a segmented sphere or bubble. Within this outer skin, the two interior forms, whose geometries are loosely correlated, turn slowly on a motor. In addition to colourful panes of handblown glass, the artwork incorporates panes of colour-effect-filter glass, a special material that reflects light of a single colour while allowing the remaining light to pass through. LED spots integrated into the outer frame illuminate the core and are reflected back out by the inner forms.
Positioned directly at the exit of the exhibition, the artwork forms, together with the projection work Your sooner than later at the entrance, a bookend to Eliasson’s exhibition at the National Museum of Qatar, underlining the importance of light in the artist’s practice.