Take Your
Time: Olafur Eliasson
by Madeleine Grynsztejn, Curator
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Exhibition
Catalogue, edited by Madeleine Grynsztejn
Thames & Hudson, London, 2007
272 pp., illus. 200 col. Trade: $50
ISBN:10: 0500093407, ISBN:13: 978-0500093405.
Reviewed by Amy Ione
The Diatrope Institute
ione@diatrope.com
After spending several afternoons with
Take your time: Olafur Eliasson,
engaging with light-filled kaleidoscopic
environments, his free-standing sculpture,
his series of wall-mounted photographic
stills, and his reconfiguration of elements
(e.g., moss, water, rock, etc.),
it is clear that Eliassons reputation
as a seasoned and influential artist is
well deserved. Words are not capable of
replicating the real time sensory engagement
with the ordinary spaces that he transforms
into sites of wonder. Indeed, it is even
hard to say whether the results are art,
science, architecture, play, or something
else entirely. Fortunately, for those
not yet acquainted with his work, the
full scale survey now on display at the
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA)
will also travel to New York, Dallas,
and Sydney, Australia (see below). Suffice
to say that Take Your Time captures
Eliassons ability to promote an
awareness of the conventions of seeing
and stimulates a critical attitude toward
the processes of perception as well. It
is an effective space for displaying his
distinctive energy, inviting the viewers
active participation, and raising perceptual
questions. On display are the six fundamental
aspects of his practice: a distinctive
use of mirrors to displace the viewers
perception of both object and self; an
exploration of light and optical phenomena
via immersive environments that interact
with the viewer for full effect; the use
of kaleidoscopic elements to bring the
outdoors into the gallery, merging nature
with culture; a deep attention to and
manipulation of landscape referents; a
disposition toward scientific methods
and materials, including the willful exposure
of the creative process; and, finally,
photographic suites of the Icelandic landscape.
Among the most tantalizing pieces in the
show is the One-way Colour Tunnel (2007),
a walk-through structure built on the
Museums thirty-eight-foot pedestrian
sky bridge and visible from the atrium
five stories below. Serving as one of
two entrances to the show, (the other
one is from off the elevator), this piece
demonstrates how effectively the artist
takes advantage of this museums
architectural features (much the way the
Sol LeWitt exhibition at SFMOMA did several
years ago). Saying that this works
position and visibility invites the viewer
in, while accurate, would seem to underplay
the degree to which each installation
stimulates active participation. Constructed
with stainless steel, color-effect acrylic,
and acrylic mirrors, two aspects of the
construction continued to fascinate me.
One is that it evoked the kaleidoscopes
I used as a child. These devices contained
mirrors and colored objects and when held
to the light and turned, an evolving symmetrical
pattern would emerge. Within the One-way
Colour Tunnel, it is as if you have
walked into a kaleidoscope. Ambient light
seamlessly meshes with the object, and
the pattern alters with your movement.
This sensation of natural immersion feels
more organic than computer-assisted virtual
reality, although no less effective. The
second aspect of this piece that fascinates
me is its involvement with the light that
surrounds the tunnel, much of which comes
through the many windows at the museum.
Each time I walked through the tunnel,
I wondered how much the colors would change
from day to day or even as the sun followed
its course throughout the day.
Multiple Grotto (2004), an enchanting
stainless steel piece owned by SFMOMA,
also has perfect pitch. Here, too, the
artwork is a dramatic extension beyond
the tubular kaleidoscope that one holds.
The cones that form this walk-in sculpture
are based upon crystalline patterns found
in nature. When standing within its core
and gazing out through the myriad openings,
the viewer sees the kaleidoscopic colors
of the surrounding environment turned
into a pattern that changes as other people
travel around outside of the sculpture.
From the outside, it is obvious that the
open, outer ends of the cones have different
shapes and angles, with some having three
sides and others four. This influences
the geometry of the patterned reflections
that form on the mirrors, although I cannot
comment specifically on how. What I can
say is that the installation created a
meditative feeling (in a sublime sense)
without removing my cognitive impulse
to know how it worked, although this comparison
may sound like a self-contradiction.
More thought provoking than meditative
is The Model Room, a collection
of objects intended to provide a glimpse
into Eliassons creative process,
(e.g., Möbius strips, mirrored
geodesic domes, quasi-crystals made of
foamcore and foil, kaleidoscopes, and
intricate lattice shapes based on mathematical
principles). These maquettes and mixed
media models features the inquisitiveness
that is at play in Eliassons studio.
Some of the catalogue essays mention that
these studies are often unsuccessful explorations.
Yet, overall they express a rigor that
belies the sensual triggers within the
art itself. His studio, it seems, serves
as a laboratory for investigating diverse
materials and forms and, within this space,
he seems to balance the intuitive and
mathematical sides of his mind. On the
one hand, the clutter brings to mind the
curiosity cabinets of earlier eras. But,
on the other hand, when walking amid the
experiments, it is evident that the predominantly
geometrical shapes on display are strikingly
different from his artistic installations.
It is not just a question of the clutter
versus the sparseness of the artistic
enterprises. It is also that the mathematical
inclination seemed to predominate. Thus,
while said to represent a playful, creative
side of his work, the objects do not suggest
the kind of playfulness frequently associated
with art. I can recall art instructors
telling me long ago that you need to know
the rules before you can break them. This
is the comment that comes to mind when
reflecting on The Model Room.
What also comes to mind in this studiolo
is Eliassons aspiration that his
art should stimulate communication. Each
time I visited the show I found myself
engaging with strangers and friends as
we discussed our perceptions and how all
of the exhibits "worked." In The Model
Room, however, I found that Eliasson
himself was the person I wanted to communicate
with about the various objects. Talking
to others was simply speculative and no
one else could say what his goal was with
each model, or explain precisely how he
expanded on what he learned when he moved
his "exercises" into the art. [Similarly,
when it seemed that one of the stills
in The Domadalur Daylight Series (South)
(2006) was out of order, I would have
liked to ask him if this was the case.
Unfortunately, I could not find this series
reproduced in the catalogue.
A short review cannot touch upon the variety
of experiences available at the show.
Much could be said about the mist and
rainbow of Beauty (1993), the spectral
panoramic within the 360º Room
for All Colours (2002), the smell
and texture of the Moss Wall (1994),
and Remagine (2002), a room with
spotlights that creates a moving illusion
of distance and depth. All deserve more
attention, as does, the second Eliasson
show at SFMOMA, Your Tempo (on
view at SFMOMA until January 13, 2008),
which features a work created as part
of a long-running art car program sponsored
by BMW. It is intended to focus our attention
on the relation between car design and
global warming. This exhibition also includes
another suite of photographs and a short
film focusing on a series of workshops
in the artists studio.
The large-format, high quality catalogue
that accompanies Take Your Time does
a fine job in critically placing Eliassons
work and supplementing the display. Edited
by Madeleine Grynsztejn, who also curated
the show, this publication includes more
than two hundred color reproductions and
6 essays that survey Eliasson's most significant
works from 1990 to the present. Eliassons
conversation with Robert Irwin offers
a glimpse into the practices of both artists.
Enhanced by a photograph of them speaking
and supplemented by reproductions of Irwins
work that make it easy to see their stylistic
affinities, it alone is worth the price
of the book. Several essays reference
The Weather Project, exhibited
at the Tate Museum from 2003-2004 and
no doubt Eliassons best known work.
Other tantalizing projects that I wish
I could detail here are also brought into
focus (e.g., Green River and Frost
Activity). Several sections of photographs
document his career to date. These images
are large enough to offer a sense of the
work, with many angles and details offering
further clarification. I was fascinated
to see how malleable the installations
are. For example, the dimensions of the
rooms in the reproductions for the Moss
Wall and the Room for One Colour
as shown in the reproductions are clearly
different from the rooms used at SFMOMA.
Even from the printed visuals it was easy
to imagine how my sense of the space would
change had I experienced the alternative
environments, where the rooms appeared
larger and lower than the ones in the
SFMOMA space. Many of the essays also
integrate how Eliasson has been influenced
by thinkers outside of the art world who
have commented on perceptual experience,
(e.g., Merleau-Ponty, Bergson,
Varela, etc.).
While exceptional in most respects, Take
Your Time is not flawless. Some pieces,
such as the site-specific One-way Color
Tunnel (2007), complement the SFMOMA
space well. At other times, I thought
the overall layout had some drawbacks.
I missed the 360º Room for All
Colours (2002) room on my first visit,
found it on the second walk through, and
missed it the third time, to my amazement,
because I had planned to show it to a
companion during the visit. The layout
also provides two points of entry, which
seemed unusual to me after reading the
catalogue. Grynsztejn, for example, writes
in her essay that Eliasson often opens
his exhibitions with a Room for One
Colour (1997) to underline the productive
operation of our perceptual qualities.
If one takes the elevator, the show does
indeed begin that way. However, taking
the stairs brings one in through the One-way
Color Tunnel, which I think is a better
place to start. I entered both ways, on
different days, and think the bridge offers
a more striking entry point.
Also noteworthy is the degree to which
this exhibition immediately brings to
mind the Light and Space artists, James
Turrell and Robert Irwin in particular.
For example, the Room for One Colour
(1997) reminded me of Turrells Ganzfeld
spaces, although Eliassons work
seems to have more conceptual affinities
with Irwins approach. Eliasson does
distinguish himself from these older artists
with his decision to expose the mechanical
apparatus so that viewers can ponder how
the pieces are contrived. Notion Motion
(2005) shows his approach well. Visitors
enter a darkened gallery with a floor
of wooden planks and a gray floor-to-ceiling
scrim. It quickly becomes apparent that
stepping on some of the raised planks
will change the wave pattern rippling
on the scrim. Upon leaving this space
one discovers that, behind the scrim,
is the apparatus that pilots the display:
a spotlight is focused on a large, shallow
basin of water and the performative act
creates the ripple effect on the waters
surface that is projected onto the vertical
scrim.
All in all, Eliassons effectiveness
stems from his ability to bring you into
the created environment. Take Your
Time does so admirably. After seeing
the show several times, I concluded that
the title, Take Your Time, which
struck me as a bit clichéd initially,
is an apt one. Each time I walked away
from the exhibits, the magic of Eliassons
creations continued to linger and my reflections
drew me back to the rewarding process
of being with the work. Without a doubt,
this show is a must-see for all people
interested in the varied ways in which
art, science, and natural phenomena converge
to create extraordinary, multisensory
experiences. Artists, art historians,
vision scientists, philosophers, and general
enthusiasts will, I believe, also find
that the catalogue is a definitive and
comprehensive resource.
Tour schedule:
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art:
September 8, 2007, to February 24, 2008.
The Museum of Modern Art, New York,
and P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center:
April 20 to June 30, 2008. Dallas Museum
of Art: November 9, 2008, to March
15, 2009. Museum of Contemporary Art,
Sydney, Australia: summer 2009