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Observatory for seeing the atmosphere’s futures, 2024 - The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, Los Angeles, California – 2024 - Photo: Zak Kelley
Observatory for seeing the atmosphere’s futures, 2024
The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, Los Angeles, California – 2024
Photo: Zak Kelley
Observatory for seeing the atmosphere’s futures, 2024 - The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, Los Angeles, California – 2024 - Photo: Zak Kelley
Observatory for seeing the atmosphere’s futures, 2024
The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, Los Angeles, California – 2024
Photo: Zak Kelley
Observatory for seeing the atmosphere’s futures, 2024 - The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, Los Angeles, California – 2024 - Photo: Zak Kelley
Observatory for seeing the atmosphere’s futures, 2024
The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, Los Angeles, California – 2024
Photo: Zak Kelley
Observatory for seeing the atmospheres futures - The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, Los Angeles, California – 2024 - Photo: Studio Olafur Eliasson
Observatory for seeing the atmospheres futures
The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, Los Angeles, California – 2024
Photo: Studio Olafur Eliasson
Observatory for seeing the atmosphere's future
'Observatory for seeing the atmosphere’s futures', 2024 is part of a series of installations within the exhibition 'Olafur Eliasson: OPEN' responding to MOCA Geffen’s building and the atmospheric conditions of Los Angeles. Eliasson draws attention to the relativity of our perception and challenges habitual ways of seeing and experiencing the world. The work feels like something built for the space programme. The tapering, four-sided kaleidoscope extends through the ceiling of the Geffen to provide a view of the atmosphere above the museum. The square opening at the top frames a patch of sky that is reflected in the mirror walls and, because of the angles of the mirrors, seems to curve off in all directions to form a sphere. The colours of the work change with the weather and the time of day. 

Video by SHIMURAbros
Music by mamoru
Watch on soe.tv ⤶
The video features five new installations as part of 'Olafur Eliasson: OPEN', the first major solo exhibition of Olafur in Los Angeles. OPEN is part of the landmark Getty initiative 'PST ART: Art & Science Collide'. Continuing Olafur’s career-long exploration of light and colour, geometry, and environmental awareness, the exhibition presents over a dozen works commissioned for MOCA, amongst these site-specific installations responding to MOCA Geffen’s building and the atmospheric conditions of Los Angeles. Olafur draws attention to the relativity of our perception and challenges habitual ways of seeing and experiencing the world. The exhibition is informed by the artist’s belief in the potential of inconclusiveness—the idea that every artwork contains an aspect that is radically open.

Video by SHIMURAbros
Music by mamoru
Watch on soe.tv ⤶
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Observatory for seeing the atmosphere’s futures, 2024

This tapering, four-sided kaleidoscope extends through the ceiling of the Geffen to provide a view of the atmosphere above the museum. The square opening at the top frames a patch of sky that is reflected in the mirror walls and, because of the angles of the mirrors, seems to curve off in all directions to form a sphere. The colours of the work change with the weather and the time of day. On especially clear Californian days, a pristine blue planet appears to float in the air above the visitors’ heads. At dawn and dusk, the vibrant colours fade from one side to the other, adding surprising dimension to the many reflections. Clouds, birds, or airplanes passing above interrupt the monochromatic field and are repeated rhythmically over and over, belying the illusion of a static polyhedron.

Artwork details

Title

Observatory for seeing the atmosphere’s futures

Year

2024

Materials

Stainless steel, aluminium, mirror foil