As part of Olafur Eliasson: Little Sun at Tate Modern, to be launched on 28 July 2012, visitors will be invited to look at works of art in the dark using only the light of Eliasson’s Little Sun solar-powered lamps. OlafurEliasson is well known for his The weather project (2003), part of the Unilever Series in Tate Modern¹s Turbine Hall.
The artist has developed the Little Sun solar-powered lamp with an engineer Frederik Ottesen to highlight the power of solar light. Around 1.6 billion people worldwide live without access to mains electricity. Little Sun produces 5 hours of light when it is charged in the sun for 5 hours. Olafur Eliasson said:”Over the years, I have been absorbed by phenomena such as light, time, the negotiation of space, compassion and the relation between body, mind, and action. Little Sun brings these different strands of my work together this is a very important step for me. By bringing Little Sun to Tate Modern and the London Olympics, I hope to realise an art project for those who typically have no access to global events of this scale.”
From July 28 visitors will be invited to participate in Tate Blackouts on Saturday nights after ordinary museum hours where the lights will go off in the former power station and visitors can look at the works of art with Little Sun lamps. The project will run across the UK until 9 September 2012.