b. Copenhagen, Denmark, 1967
Round Rainbow
2005
Acrylic, HMI spotlight, motor, and tripod
Dimensions variable; ring: 23 1/2 in. (60 cm) diam.
Edition: 2/3
Gift of Janine and J. Tomilson Hill in honor of Ned Rifkin’s tenure as Director of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden (2002–2005), 2005 (05.22)
© Olafur Eliasson. Photo: Lee Stalsworth
Olafur Eliasson, Round Rainbow, 2005. Courtesy of Long Museum, Shanghai, 2016. A film by SHIMURAbros. Music by Mamoru
Olafur Eliasson’s art, like Duchamp’s, is propelled by his decades-long explorations of perception, movement, and the experience of art. Using natural elements such as light and water, Eliasson creates works that aim to heighten our awareness of the ways that perception engages sight, body, and mind. Here, his fabricated rainbow employs everyday materials—an acrylic disk, light, and a motor—to create an immersive installation of constantly changing light and color, bringing into the Museum a synthetic reproduction of a naturally occurring optical illusion.
The video depicts Round Rainbow installed at the Long Museum, Shanghai. The music, by Mamoru, is not a part of the artwork.
Mini Art Lesson: Illumination Station
Maker Mornings: Olafur Eliasson
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