Glass Colour Circle
A new work has been added to the downtown Des Moines Pappajohn Sculpture Park, and even though some of it won’t be finished until spring, it’s ready for viewing.
Twelve foot tall multicolored rectangular glass panels in a circle around a bright light are the components for the new sculpture “Glass Colour Circle” by Danish artist Olafur Eliasson.Des Moines Art Center director Jeff Fleming says Eliasson designed the work specifically for the landscape. “He says the sculpture park is an ocean with waves, and this piece is like a lighthouse on the ocean and it’s providing guidance for the viewer or the participant as they go through the park,” Fleming says.
Glass Colour Circle is the 28th sculpture in the four year old park. Fleming says Eliasson was asked to create an original piece for the park two years ago. “He immediately said yes,” Fleming says. “And I know the reason…is the quality of the park and the way the park has transformed the community in a very positive way.”Fleming says Eliasson recognized the park has “changed the character of the community” and has significance for Des Moines in a variety of ways. “I think that’s important for an artist – to be a part of something that can change a community, that can change a world,” Fleming says. Eliasson manufactured Glass Colour Circle in his Berlin studio. He plans to travel to Iowa this spring to see his work after the final landscaping is finished.