Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Artist Statement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Olafur Eliasson says art can make the lake 'speak' and prompt action
Summary
Artist Olafur Eliasson framed his Memory Grove piece as an invitation to listen: he described translating lake materials into projection and sound and urged art's role in lowering defensiveness so communities can respond to the Great Salt Lake's decline.
At a Salt Lake City Arts Council panel, artist Olafur Eliasson described how his installation translates materials from the Great Salt Lake into projected imagery and a soundscape to make the ecosystem "speak." He said the installation includes a large air‑filled sphere and a roughly 30‑minute audio track assembled from about 150 field recordings of local wildlife.
Eliasson argued that art can open civic space for collaboration with scientists and policymakers. "So the idea is that the lake has agency, it is actually alive, 1 could say, and it is speaking to us," he said, adding that artists should imagine future viewers while making choices about materials and collaborations. He also recounted prior projects—including logistical anecdotes—to illustrate how public trust and belief in a cause help mobilize support for environmental work.
