OLAFUR ELIASSON
TITLE: The Weather Project
ORIGINAL LOCATION: Tate Modern Installation, 2003
BIG IDEA: Views of Reality
MAJOR THEME: Passing of Time
MEDIUM: Installation
VISUAL COMPONENTS: Movement, Emphasis, Form, Emphasis
CATEGORY: Fine Arts
DESCRIPTION: The Weather Project is a large-scale installation that transformed Turbine Hall at the Tate Modern. There is a large yellow light, representing the sun that moves throughout the day. Misting accumulated into cloud-like formations. The light is reflected from mirrors, and changes the entire room to look black and yellow for the viewers.
USE IN TEACHING: This work combines technology, installation, and experience related to some of life’s larger questions. This work could be used to illustrate concepts of installation and introduce technology as a complex medium for middle school and high school aged students. A lesson could involve using digital projections with installations. Students could focus on creating a multimedia installation that creates the illusion of alternate space and time. Potential questions could include: How is the artist transporting the viewer? How else can light only be used to create a temporary installation? What does a work mean if it only exists once for a few weeks? Can artwork truly transport the viewer?
SOURCE: http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/exhibition/unilever-series-olafur-eliasson-weather-project/olafur-eliasson-weather-project
