Starbrick

The suspended light installation in the imposing Jugendstil cupola is composed of 35 modules, so-called »Starbrick«, slotted into one another. They are originally derived from the »Quasi Brick«, which approximates the form of a cube and constitutes the basic structural element in a variety of Olafur Eliasson’s works. The »Quasi Brick« was a result of Eliasson’s years of collaboration with the Icelandic architect and theorist Einar Thorsteinn (1942–2015). In their experimental studies, they devoted themselves to the exploration of three-dimensional geometry and the development of space-filling systems of stacked elements.

Through the additional use of LED lamps, the »Starbrick« exhibits three different types of light, which in combination resemble natural daylight. The variable model follows a compositional principle which unfolds in the interplay of space and light. Despite its geometrical individual forms, the site-specific work, specially conceived for the Kunsthalle Mannheim, displays an organic structure which can be sensuously perceived from different perspectives. The Danish-Icelandic artist Eliasson became renowned for his spectacular experiments drawing on modern scientific knowledge and observations of natural physical phenomena.