360° room for all colours (2002)

Olafur Eliasson. ‘360° room for all colours’ (2002), stainless steel, projection foil, fluorescent lights, wood, control unit. 320 x 815.3 x 815.3 cm, installation view at Musée d’Art moderne de la Ville de Paris, Paris, 2002. Private collection. Image courtesy the artist and Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York © the artist

In ‘360° room for all colours’ (2002), Olafur Eliasson turns his analytical gaze to cinematic representation, producing an immersive experience of time and colour.

The 9’ high circular structure is reminiscent of the original panorama; a form that appeared in Paris during the early 19^th Century. As a series of expansive and detailed landscapes, these panoramas were an important development towards contemporary cinema; the realisation of being able to visually represents both space and duration.

Looming above, ‘360° room for all colours’ (2002) completely encompasses a viewer’s gaze. As an artwork, it is both physically and psychologically immersive. The structure itself becomes Eliasson’s canvas for a series of sensory nature-scapes, and an immersive experiment into our own perception of colour. Backlit by a number of projectors, both the walls and the internal space become illuminated by the entire colour spectrum.

In addition to the psychology and physicality of the piece, this work is an experience of time. It is an experience of how nature’s colour palette – much like the seasons – undulates. Like the title of Eliasson’s upcoming MCA retrospective, ‘360° room for all colours’ (2002) is an all-consuming environment that asks the viewer to ‘take their time’. The value here is patience, participation and above all, an individual’s sensory experience.