The inside and outside of Flower Observatory
look very different even though both are made of
stainless steel. Build an inside/outside hut for a
small doll or action figure using a single material
such as cardboard, fabric, foil, twigs, or newspaper
(rolled, shredded, or crumpled). Change the
appearance of the material on the inside so that it
looks different from the outside. For example, if
you are using cardboard, expose the bumpy surface
on the inside while leaving the smooth surface on
the outside. If you are using twigs, allow the leaves
to hang down on the inside but remove the leaves
from the outside.
Classroom Activities
Elementary
Flower Observatory consists of many pieces of
metal bolted tightly together. Find a chair, bicycle,
or other functional structure with parts that have
been bolted or screwed together. Imagine removing the bolts or screws so that you can see all the
pieces separately. Draw how each piece would look
by itself, then imagine bolting or screwing all the
pieces together in an entirely new way. Draw a picture of your imaginary structure.
Middle School
Olafur Eliasson intends his sculpture to be a
“laboratory for the senses” and hopes that viewers
Stepping between the supports, we discover
the sculpture’s wonderful secret. The sculpture
has become a kaleidoscope of dark triangles and
bright spots of light. These triangles are the dark
sides of the very same cones that we saw on the
exterior, and the spots of light originate in the
small openings at the tips of those cones. But here
on the inside, the steel surfaces have been highly
polished, and the light reflecting off of them is
mirrored over and over again on other surfaces,
forming a dark vault bursting with bright stars or
brilliant blossoms.
an explosive cluster of stainless steel cones that
thrust outward from numerous nodes. The tip of
each cone has been truncated, creating a small
three or four-sided opening at each cone’s outermost point. A series of regularly spaced nuts and
bolts hold the sides of the cones together so that
they maintain their exact shape and size.
1. Bright patches of red, turquoise, or blue appear
on the gray steel exterior of Flower Observatory.
These spots of color are reflections of paintings
on the surrounding gallery walls. What colors
might appear on the sculpture if it were moved
to an outdoor site in your neighborhood? How
Discussion Questions
will be active participants, moving from outside to
inside and back again to see how their perceptions
change. While the outside may appear as a cold,
gray, and somewhat formidable architectural structure, the inside becomes an inviting and delightful retreat where forms and patterns sparkle and
respond to every shift in the viewer’s point of view.
By identifying a point on the exterior and finding
its corresponding point on the interior, we realize
that the component parts of outside and inside are
one and the same. On the inside, the stainless steel
is highly polished; on the outside, it is not. That is
the critical difference.
3.
2.
SchoolArts
January
2010
The remarkable effects of Flower Observatory are
a consequence of light reflecting off of angled sur-
faces in the manner of a kaleidoscope. Research
how kaleidoscopes work, then build your own
kaleidoscope. For general instructions refer to:
www.kaleidoscopesusa.com/makeAscope.htm
www.lifehacker.com.au/2008/02/help_your_kids_
build_a_kaleido
www.optics.arizona.edu/academics/kaleidoscope-
howtomakeakaleidoscope.htm
www.ehow.com/how_2070230_
make-kaleidoscope.html 235
High School
www.olafureliasson.net
www.sfmoma.org/multimedia/interactive_
features/32
www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2008/
olafureliasson/#/intro/
www.zefrank.com/byokal/kal2.html
Linda Andre is manager of teacher programs and
resources and holds the Sylvia Friedberg Nachlas
Endowed Chair for Museum Education at the Baltimore
Museum of Art.
would the reflections change if it were moved to
the gym or cafeteria inside your school?
In what ways is Flower Observatory like a
flower? How is it like an observatory?
Eliasson hopes museum visitors will “
participate” in his sculpture. If you had a few minutes
to spend underneath Flower Observatory, how
would you use your time?
