16 December 2018

No glaciers were harmed in the harvesting

24 blocks of ice,  brought from Greenland by artist Olafur Eliasson, are situated outside Tate Modern, gently melting, their water trickling into the Thames.
A little ice-cubelet seems to have been left behind on the foreshore
 The ice looks lovely behind the birches, but "t'aint natural"...
... the ice is real, but its situation is unreal. It's meant to get people thinking. And looking - so many of us have never seen a glacier, let alone been able to touch an iceberg.

"Eliasson worked with geologist Minik Rosing to transport over 100 tonnes of free-floating, glacial ice from the waters of the Nuup Kangerlua fjord in Greenland. The ice had separated from its sheets and was discovered melting into the ocean." (via)



Elaisson recommends putting an ear to the ice, to hear the little crackles and pops of released air bubbles and splitting as the ice melts.

Another six blocks of ice are deposited about a 10-minute walk away in the City of London, reflected on the rainy pavement -




4 comments:

Olga Norris said...

Reminds me of Andy Goldsworthy's Midsummer Snowballs in 2000.

Stitchinscience said...

Thanks for this post Margaret, I wasn't aware of this piece. I doubt I'll be able to get up to London before they all melt.

Bea said...

He had a sound and light exhibit in LA last year. He seems to be everywhere...

Kathleen Loomis said...

what a great project!! I have been so fortunate to see glaciers up close on several different continents and I love them!! we once got to spend a couple of hours sitting overlooking a huge glacier that was continually calving. it was hardly ever quiet -- always the cracking and then occasionally when a huge chunk would calve off it would make a big roar and then hit the water in a deafening tsunami. one of the most sublime nature moments I've ever seen.