Olafur Eliasson is a Danish-Icelandic artist, born in Denmark in 1967. He is most commonly known for big-installation art where he aims to stretch real-world perspective to augmented, light-oriented artwork. His goal is for a viewer to view something in a different light, whether that be themselves or the outside world. He has a particular fascination with nature and has had multiple installations related to weather in some degree, sparking discussions with the goal of opening a viewer’s eye up to new ideas.
His most famous installation in 2003, titled “The Weather Project” allowed museum-goers to step into a room and experience a warm sun. Using mirrors and displays he created a mock sunset, where the sun shined direct light, allowing other people to appear as silhouetted figures.“The living lighthouse” was an installation within an entire Olafur-dedicated exhibit, where people can walk into a room where they would be projected across walls all around themselves, in different colors and aspects. He wanted people to see themselves in different shapes, with the different colors attempting to envoke different moods and emotions on each person. “Your blind movement” allowed people to walk into a hallway filled with different lights and fog, causing a gradient and silhouetting. Olafur enjoyed interactive exhibits like these because he felt his art could take on whatever form the viewer chose.
