On Tuesday morning August 18 two huge, inflatable globes attracted the attention of travelers to and from Rotterdam Central Station. Artist Olafur Eliasson was at the station to prepare a test setup for his artwork ‘Kissing Earth’.
The design consists of two transparent globes, made of partly reflecting and partly yellow stainless steel. Using two inflatable models of 10 meter high Eliasson investigated how big the two globes should be made.
There’s a wide range of opinions about the sculpture. Many passers-by find the bulbs too large and are afraid that the work will block the view on the train station. Jeroen van Schooten, who was also present at the trial, disagrees: “I think it’s beautiful. On a large square like this a large volume is just what you need. Don’t forget that the original design is transparent. You can see right through the oceans.”
If the funding comes around in time, the artwork can be revealed in the autumn of 2016.
UPDATE June 29, 2016:
The artwork Kissing Earth by the Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson, which was to be placed on the central square of Rotterdam, has been canceled. The municipality of Rotterdam writes in a letter that it has not been possible to get the funding around in time.
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