Olafur Eliasson Creates Deep-Sea Experience for New ARTIS Aquarium

Internationally renowned artist Olafur Eliasson has created a new commissioned installation for the ARTIS Aquarium in Amsterdam, which will open to the public in October.

The installation, titled "Deep seeing currents," aims to evoke the experience of the deep sea, an environment rarely accessed by humans. Eliasson utilizes sound, light, and vibration to simulate the pressure and auditory landscape of the deep ocean, including whale songs and the sounds of hydrothermal vents.

Located in the aquarium's monumental rotunda, the artwork merges art, science, and nature. The ARTIS Aquarium, a national monument dating back to 1882, has recently undergone extensive restoration and will reopen as a museum environment connecting architecture, installations, science, and art to tell a story about the relationship between humans, water, and nature.

Eliasson stated that limiting one sense can unlock others, which is key to conjuring such an unimaginable environment. The installation is expected to foster wonder and a sense of urgency regarding the importance of protecting the oceans.

The newly renovated aquarium transforms one of the world's oldest aquariums into a contemporary cultural experience, adding a new dimension where wonder, experience, and urgency converge with Eliasson's installation.