Olafur Eliasson
Notion Motion, 2005
wood, rubber, lamps, water
Notion Motion consists of three parts that explore the interaction between water, light and the viewer. Eliasson has created an enchanting work with simple means. He immerses the viewer in a simple and minimal yet overwhelming visual experience created by the interplay of light and water.
Visitors enter a darkened room illuminated only by a dusky projection of rippling water on the surface of a pool. The space echoes with the creaking of gently seesawing floorboards which make low, rusty cries under the steps of visitors. The attention of the viewer is initially consumed by bodily awareness. With each step, the soft falling and settling of weight is reminiscent the experience of walking over a buoyed harbor dock. However, as more intrepid or antagonistic visitors begin to test the limits of the environment by bouncing more vigorously from one plank to another, louder creaks and squeals reverberate throughout the room. At this point, the projection begins to tremble with almost seismic register as bolder and more rapid waves ripple in tandem with the activity on the floor.
Firewall is an interactive media installation created in collaboration with Mike Allison. A stretched sheet of spandex acts as a membrane interface sensitive to depth that people can push into and create fire-like visuals and expressively play music. More information available on the project’s blog.
Biophilia, her most ambitious and exciting work to date took the question of where do music, nature and technology meet and played with it. A multimedia project encompassing music, apps,internet, installations and live shows, Biophilia shows how sound can work in nature, exploring the infinite expanse of the universe, from planetary systems to atomic structure.
Björk performed Biophilia tracks alongside music from her genre-defying back catalogue with a small group of unique musical collaborators, including an award-winning Icelandic female choir. The show featured a range of specially conceived and crafted instruments, among them a bespoke pipe organ that accepts digital information and a pendulum that harnesses the earth’s gravitational pull to create musical patterns.
In a special collaboration with MIF, the Biophilia show will travel to major cities around the world following the Manchester premiere.MIF also worked with young people in Manchester to explore the ideas behind Björk’s Biophilia.
Follow Bjork on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bjork
Visit Bjork’s website at www.bjork.com
‘kind of glowing geometric prism thing’
Daniel Rozin