Your Glacial Expectations by Günther Vogt and Olafur Eliasson

Ebeltoft, 2012

The landscape surrounding the Kvadrat Headquarters in Ebeltoft is designed by architect Günther Vogt and artist Olafur Eliasson. This addition is a permanent outdoor installation encompassing five unique elliptical mirrors designed by Olafur Eliasson. 

The mirrors resemble glacial basins; they differ in form yet are set in horizontal alignment and positioned amongst trees, shrubs and wildlife. The interplay between an untamed wilderness and serene garden is explored in the conceptualisation of the surrounding landscape. On slight elevations in the broad meadows are small but dense gatherings of trees, clearly delineated in their oval form.

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.