So I’ve been to see Olafur Eliasson’s Weather Project at Tate Modern twice now. It is rather beautiful. But what quickly became more interesting than ‘the sun’ itself – to me anyway – is the reaction of people to the project. I haven’t seen many pictures of people – perhaps because the sun’s so photogenic – which I find that odd, given how it’s such an inclusive artwork, and people’s performance in that space is so much of the piece itself, and genuinely interesting.
First of all, the light Eliasson’s created is really interesting:
"Generally used in street lighting, mono-frequency lamps emit light at such a narrow frequency that colours other than yellow and black are invisible, thus transforming the visual field around the sun into a vast duotone landscape." [From Tate Modern: About the installation]
I soon decided to switch my flash off, preferring the slightly fuzzier, but warmer light my digital camera sought out. The faint mist pervading the space softens the edges of all but the most direct silhouettes, and the limited light means that some of the images are blurred or ghosted – but I like this effect. It looks how it felt, if you see what I mean.
First people stand and stare, wandering down the ramp of the turbine hall, barely able to believe their eyes, taking in the warm colours and misty atmosphere, drawn towards the sun (click these thumbnails for larger versions):
Slowly they look up and realise the ceiling is mirrored, increasing the ‘height’ of the turbine hall:
People start to point and wave, trying to spot themselves, or simply stand and stare, lost in contemplation:
They sit down, gathering in groups as if basking in front of the sun, taking photos of each other, having picnics:
Eventually, many end up lying on their backs – it’s been suggested they’re sunbathing 😉 However, what’s going on is more akin to a gentle exhibitionism, people contorting themselves into shapes discernible on the reflected ceiling, tiny children copying their waving parents without realising what a reflection is, groups forming impromptu star shapes:
Strikes me that Eliasson’s premise that people in Britain continually talk about the weather (part of the ‘rationale’ for this particular work) is fine, and probably true, but what the piece actually highlighted to me is people’s relationship with their self-image, and perhaps even a mass(ive) desire to perform in public on several levels – both to be part of a crowd and to be individually reflexive.
City of Sound 
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