Notion Motion (2005)
Eliasson, Olafur

collection Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam

The installation consists of three consecutive situations using water and light (HMI projectors) to visualise the movement of the gallery visitors. Linked by a long, elevated wooden walkway, the situations experiment with vibrations as a phenomenon that defines and reconfigures space.

In room one an entire elevated wooden floor transforms the movement of people walking about the space into ripples in a water basin located on the opposite side of a black projection screen. The water is reflected onto the screen, its ripples varying according to the movement of the people. In the second room movement along the ramp activates water in a smaller basin; its waves are projected through a narrow, horizontal slit in a temporary wall onto a larger wall in a vibrating line. In the third room a sponge continuously falls into a large water basin and is slowly elevated again, the splash and water dripping from the sponge causing waves on the surface that are projected onto a white wall.

In his large-scale installation Eliasson explores the consequences of visitor movement within a museum space, thus drawing attention to the fact that no space is neutral or stable. Their mere presence in the rooms turns visitors into participants: they are immersed in the installation structure while influencing this very structure through their physical exploration of the space.

(Text Büro Olafur Eliasson)

Videos of Notion Motion
ArtTube has made a video of the artist search and installation of Notion Motion in Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen. Click external links for website and video. Text: english/german, dutch subtitles

SBMK has made a film about Installation Artworks, called ‘Installations Art: Who Cares?’. Contents of this movie is about, the maintenance and conservation of contemporary visual art which is a new challenge for museums and art conservators. Notion Motion is one of the Artworks which is researched in this film. Click external links for film ‘Installation Art: Who Cares?’.


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