Rudimentary optical devices made from three or more mirrors have been an important line of inquiry for Eliasson for the last twenty years. Referred to by the artist as ‘kaleidoscopes’, these devices create the illusion of a three-dimensional form at the end of their open shafts, depending on the number and angle of the mirrors used. The kaleidoscopes also incorporate the surroundings and the visitors into the mirrored interiors.
Kaleidosphere unites thirty different kaleidoscopes into a single, spherical sculpture. The sphere is mounted in a frame that can be rotated by viewers, enabling them to examine each kaleidoscope individually. Fragmentary forms are multiplied within the polished stainless-steel mirrors to conjure the illusory images of thirty different polyhedrons floating in virtual space.