Olafur Eliasson at MIT March 12-14 for 2014 Eugene McDermott Award in the Arts at MIT

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Massachusetts Institute of Technology 1

Feb 19, 2014, 10:00 ET


Cambridge, MA (PRWEB) February 19, 2014 -- Olafur Eliasson at MIT for 2014 Eugene McDermott Award in the Arts at MIT

“Holding hands with the sun”: public lecture March 13, 2014, 5pm
Award includes artist residency, public events, $100,000 prize and gala

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is pleased to announce that Olafur Eliasson, 2014 Eugene McDermott Award in the Arts at MIT recipient, will be at MIT on March 12­-14, 2014 to accept the prestigious honor. A distinctive feature of the award, ­­ beyond the $100,000 prize, public programs and gala, is a residency in which the artist interacts with MIT students, faculty and staff in a range of academic disciplines on campus.

Eliasson’s collaboration with MIT focuses upon his art and social business enterprise Little Sun, a portable, solar powered lamp, which he calls “a work of art that works in life.” Renowned for his large­-scale public art projects and architectural works, Eliasson’s Little Sun is perhaps his most ambitious work of art to date, as it forms the architecture of a vast global network, bringing together people, places and resources towards the common goal of more equitably distributing the world’s power, both literally and figuratively. An installation of over one hundred Little Suns is on view at the MIT Museum, in addition to a four-channel installation at the MIT List Visual Arts Center of Little Sun-themed films commissioned by Eliasson.

The artist’s activities on campus will center around discussions of sustainable development, community engagement, design, product engineering and social entrepreneurship in developing economies. He will engage with the MIT Energy Initiative (MITei), a multidisciplinary, Institute-wide research program working to find secure, economically viable, and environmentally sustainable energy sources, the MIT D­Lab (Development through Dialogue, Design and Dissemination), the Sloan School of Management; the MIT Center for Civic Media, and the MIT Museum, among others.

Uniting MIT’s pioneering research with Eliasson’s attention to the sensory and subjective, the residency reconceptualizes the field of sustainable development beyond the merely functional. The project asks: How can we create an affordable global energy system that factors in human emotion, creativity, and desire? Connecting an acclaimed artist such as Eliasson with MIT’s rich culture of innovation presents a profound opportunity to radically expand the discussion around issues of sustainable energy as well as collectively imagine new and inventive solutions for the future.

Olafur Eliasson will present two public programs:
Artist Lecture by Olafur Eliasson: Holding hands with the sun
Thursday, March 13, 2014 | 5:00pm
MIT Lecture Hall 10-250 | 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA

The Art and Science of Solar Lights
Panel Discussion: Olafur Eliasson with Harald Quintus-Bosz
Friday, March 14, 2014 | 5:00pm
MIT Museum | 265 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA

For more information about Olafur Eliasson's MIT residency and the 40th anniversary Eugene McDermott Award in the Arts at MIT visit http://arts.mit.edu/mcdermott.

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Leah Talatinian, Massachusetts Institute of Technology 1, http://arts.mit.edu/mcdermott, +1 (617) 253-5351, [email protected]