Louisiana Museum in Denmark Exhibiting Olafur Eliasson's Riverbed

Christina Drill
August 22, 2014

The Louisania Museum of Modern Art located in Denmark is perched on a cliff overlooking the ocean, and it's known for showcasing the world's most avant-garde artists. It describes itself as "An international museum that strikes that rarest of balances between art, architecture and nature." So, obviously, it's the perfect place to exhibit Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson's newest art installation, "Riverbed," which is an entirely synthetic replica of a riverbed that would otherwise be found in nature. Entirely. Synthetic.

Eliasson is a well-known artist famous for creating installations and large-scale art projects that focus on both the ideas of the elements-- air, wind, water-- as well as site-specific location to enhance the viewer's experience. He is the same guy behind "New York City Waterfalls," the four manmade waterfalls that were exhibited in New York Harbor in 2008. The Public Art Fund commissioned him to build those, and it ended up being one of the most expensive public art projects since "The Gates" in Central Park.

"Riverbend" lends itself to the Danish coast, allowing the raw feel of the natural land to enter the museum. The exhibit creates the experience of being "one" with the Danish coast. If you want to watch a video of someone walking across Eliasson's synthetic riverbed, here is your chance.

Eliasson once installed a massive glowing sun in London as well as a sheet of fog in Beijing. Both installations were site-specific and created with the intent to change visitor's experience of the site's landscape in one way or another.

At one end of the "Riverbed" exhibit are videos for its visitors. All three videos emphasize movement and are titled "Your Embodied Garden," "Movement Microscope," and "Innen Stadt Aussn."

"Riverbed" will be at the Louisiana Museum through the season.