Olafur Eliasson's Fog couch on show at Tate Modern, London

Olafur Eliasson and Kvadrat have worked together on numerous projects for more than ten years. Their latest collaboration is the artwork Fog couch, 2018, which was first conceived as a site-specific artwork for Kvadrat headquarters. Placed at the heart of the building, Fog couch is one of three artworks specifically made for the location.

To create the ideal surface for the piece Eliasson and his team spent more than five years researching textile techniques. They worked together with Icelandic artisans to develop a flat knit which uses techniques similar to those used in knitting wool sweaters.

Fog couch is composed of modular segments, each of which has different dimensions. The shape of each section depends on the relationship between the elliptical back section and the rectangular base. The unique, knitted-wool textile upholstering the piece suggests the rippling sand left behind by a receding tide.

Anders Byriel, CEO Kvadrat:
“Our journey with Olafur started with the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2007 and we have continued our close collaboration ever since. Olafur and his work are somehow part of our narrative, we share a mutual understanding of how we explore and interpret space. The Fog couch is another chapter in our journey, and I look forward to see it amongst his other work at Tate Modern.”

The piece is part of the exhibition Olafur Eliasson: In real life which is on show at Tate Modern.

Olafur Eliasson: In real life
Tate Modern
11 July 2019 – 5 January 2020

Opening hours
Sunday – Thursday, 10:00 – 18:00
Friday – Saturday, 10.00 – 22.00

Artist Olafur Eliasson (IS/DK), born 1967, works in a wide range of media, including installation, painting, sculpture, photography, and film. Since 1997, his solo shows have appeared in major museums around the world. Eliasson’s projects in public space include The New York City Waterfalls in 2008, and Ice Watch for which Eliasson, with geologist Minik Rosing, brought melting ice blocks from Greenland to Copenhagen in 2014 and to Paris on the occasion of the COP21 Climate Conference in 2015. Established in 1995, his studio today numbers about ninety craftsmen, architects, archivists, administrators, and cooks.

In 2014, Eliasson and architect Sebastian Behmann founded Studio Other Spaces, an office for art and architecture focusing on interdisciplinary and experimental building projects and works in public space. Together with engineer Frederik Ottesen, Eliasson founded the social business Little Sun in 2012. This global project produces and distributes the Little Sun solar lamp for use in off-grid communities and spreads awareness about the need to expand access to sustainable energy to all.