In many ways, Little Sun is a natural extension
of the philosophical ideas that have occupied
Eliasson throughout the course of his twentyyear career. Many of his works explore the
perception of light as it relates to time, space,
and movement—experiences shared by all yet
generating distinct individual responses. As the
scholar Marcella Beccaria noted, “Light is the
instrument through which Eliasson relates to
each person as a sensuous subject who lives in
the realm of daily life.” Through such works, he
explores the points at which inner experience
intersects with the external world.
With its bright butter-yellow color, Little Sun
is designed to appeal to people of all ages as a
solar alternative to the kerosene lanterns used
in many countries. For the price of two to three
months’ worth of kerosene, this rechargeable
solar lamp can provide a family with light ten
times brighter for years, without the serious
health and environmental impacts of burning
kerosene. Slowly, Little Sun is transforming the
way people use and distribute energy, one lamp
at a time.
Little Sun first came to MIT in September
2013, when CEO Felix Tristan Hallwachs, the
former manager of Eliasson’s robust 90-person
studio, came to present the project and mentor
students in the annual “Hacking Arts” competi-
Photo from MIT’s Energy Night.
All images courtesy of MIT.
tion. The hack-a-thon resulted in the formation
of three groups who “hacked” on Little Sun to
create novel new products, which they then
showcased at the MIT Museum’s popular Energy Night in October. Once Eliasson himself
arrived on campus as an artist-in-residence during March, he had the opportunity to further
discuss issues of sustainable development, community engagement, design, product engineering, and social entrepreneurship in developing
economies.
Eliasson’s artistic interests lie in collapsing
distances—between self and other, between
near and far—to emphasize the importance of
interdependence. In mediating between the
individual and the collective, his work navigates
the border between personal freedom and collective responsibility. With Little Sun, he aims
to effect real social change by “turning thinking
into doing.” In this way, Little Sun is a perfect
fit with MIT’s mens et manus educational ideal.
While at MIT, Eliasson engaged groups across
the Institute to creatively expand the conversation around sustainable energy, as well as collectively imagine new and inventive solutions for
the future.
Photo from MIT’s Energy Night.
SciArt in America April 2014
This article has been modified from its original version on the
MIT CAST blog by the author.
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