Staged Nature: artist brings raw Danish landscape indoors

Louisiana, Denmark – Olafur Eliasson, best known for installing an artificial sun in London’s Tate Modern and building waterfalls along the East River in New York, is tackling the theme of natural versus artificial environment in his new installation Riverbed.

Opened recently in the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Eliasson’s installation mirrors Denmark’s rocky and rugged landscape. The artist has taken over the south wing of the museum to recreate a dry riverbed, which winds through the different rooms, connecting the space and emphasising the ephemeral character of the installation.

Eliasson eschews established norms of behaviour and experience associated with a museum environment. There are no directions about to how to act within the exhibit – visitors are free to choose their path through the rocky terrain and thus independently interpret the sensory experience – and the walls are bare. ‘I am interested in how you connect this landscape to the rest of the world and ultimately, how you experience yourself within it,’ says Eliasson.

With his installation, Eliasson blurs the boundaries between natural and man-made, giving both equal importance and value. For more examples of artists and designers embracing the natural and the artificial on an even footing, read our upcoming Anti-Materials macro-inspire.