Little Sun in Florida: The Fondation Beyeler presents Olafur Eliasson’s art and social business project at Art Basel in Miami Beach
The presentation of the Fondation Beyeler at Art Basel in Miami Beach from 5 to 8 December 2013 will provide Little Sun, the solar-powered lamp developed by artist Olafur Eliasson and engineer Frederik Ottesen with a platform for North and Latin America.
The Fondation Beyeler’s entire stand will be devoted to Little Sun. Inspired by Floridian street food culture, the solar-powered lamps will be presented from a typical local food truck. Throughout the duration of the fair, a second truck will travel around in Miami with Little Sun lamps available for purchase as well as drinks.
In addition, at the Initiative of the Fondation Beyeler, an Artist Talk with Olafur Eliasson and Klaus Biesenbach (Director of MoMA PS1 and Chief Curator at Large of MoMA NY) will be held from 3 pm to 4 pm on Thursday 5 December as part of the Salon 2013 series.
Little Sun is a work of art that works in life. The Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson developed the small solar-powered lamp together with the engineer Frederik Ottesen to bring light to the 1.6 billion people who live outside the electrical grid. The founders devised Little Sun as a social business project with global impact.
Olafur Eliasson himself has said: “In my understanding, an artwork is fundamentally tied to its surroundings, to the present, to society, to cultural and geographic determinants. It activates this dense texture, thereby examining the world in which we live – and by doing so, it can ultimately change the world.”
The simultaneous presentation of Little Sun at Art Basel in Miami Beach and in the city aims to break down the boundaries between life and art, art and science as well as between interior and exterior spaces, giving local residents and visitors to Miami the chance to come into contact with Little Sun. The concept of sharing – for example of resources – will be given a tangible form through the presentation.
The Little Sun project was officially launched at Tate Modern in London in 2012. Little Sun currently has distribution in Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Burundi, Senegal, South Africa, Zimbabwe, as well as in the EU, in Switzerland at the Fondation Beyeler’s Art Shop, in the USA and in Japan. The presentation at Art Basel Miami Beach aims to engage North and Latin American supporters and communities.
Since the early 1990s Eliasson has repeatedly explored ideas relating to the themes of collectivity and the perception of space. His installations often feature elements appropriated from nature as a way of encouraging viewers to reflect on their perception of the physical world. In late October, the Council of the Arts of MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) awarded Eliasson the 2014 Eugene McDermott Art Prize.
Visit Fondation Beyeler’s Art Shop
Little Sun YoungArts + MoMA PS1 at Art Basel in Miami Beach:
As part of his Little Sun project, Olafur Eliasson invited eighteen filmmakers from around the world to create films about light, life, and Little Sun. The resultant sixteen Little Sun short films will be screened in the YoungArts Gallery for the duration of Art Basel Miami Beach. In addition, a Little Sun kiosk in the YoungArts Gallery will present the Little Sun project and its eponymous solar lamp, which will be available for purchase: YoungArts Gallery in Tower Building on the YoungArts Campus (2100 Biscayne Boulevard)
Further information about Little Sun can be obtained from: Signe Glahn, Little Sun [email protected]
For more information regarding Olafur Eliasson and Little Sun see: www.littlesun.com; www.olafureliasson.net; www.raumexperimente.net
