Olafur Eliasson’s work is heavily influenced by the elements of the weather, that is, light, water, and temperature. These elements have been featured prominently in his projects throughout his career, which has spanned decades, by the way.
For 'The Mediated Motion' at the Kunsthaus Bregenz in Austria (2001), Eliasson created a sequence of spaces filled with natural materials including water, fog, earth, wood, fungus and duckweed. During their journey through the exhibition, visitors were confronted by a variety of sensory experiences – sights, smells, and textures – which had been precisely articulated by the artist. Eliasson also modified the dominant orthogonal character of the building, including the insertion of a subtly slanting floor, which made visitors become more conscious of the act of movement through space.
Like many of his projects, the Meditated Motion was created to explore the relationship between the audience and nature. Eliasson charted a definite course through the museum that caused the viewer to traverse the rooms while climbing up the four levels of the museum building.
It is worth noting that Eliasson’s work has never just been about the private experience but also about the social interaction. Like the majority of his works, the exhibition was created to expose the extent to which people’s shared reality was culturally constructed. In the end, the Meditated Motion was considered communal but not universal as every visitor was encouraged to bring something different to the exhibition so that each experience could be unique.
