Olafur Eliasson: Our glacial perspectives

Our glacial perspectives is a permanent, public work of art located on Mount Grawand, in South Tyrol, Italy. A path leads along the mountain's glacial-carved ridge for 410 metres. Divided by nine gates spaced at intervals corresponding in scale to the durations of Earth's ice ages, the path marks out a deep-time timeline of our planet, of ice, and of the environment. At the end of the path is a pavilion made from multiple steel and glass rings that contain a circular deck jutting out over the edge of Mount Grawand. Viewers standing on the deck can use the pavilion as an astronomical instrument by aligning their gazes with the surrounding rings, which track the apparent path of the sun in the sky on any given day. The rings divide the year into equal time intervals: the top ring tracks the path of the sun on the summer solstice; the middle ring tracks the equinox; and the bottom, the winter solstice. On the outside of the pavilion, two parallel steel rings frame the horizon line, and the half-rings that support the structure indicate the north–south and east–west axes. The glass panes of the sun-path are tinted various shades of blue in reference to the cyanometer, a scale developed in the nineteenth century for measuring the blueness of the sky. By marking the horizon, the cardinal directions, and the movement of the sun, the artwork directs the visitor's attention to a larger planetary perspective on the changes in climate that are directly affecting the Hochjochferner glacier. The way to the top starts in Kurzras. The glacier cable car takes 6 minutes to the top station, where the Glacier Hotel Grawand is located. From there you walk across the wide ridge directly to the public art installation. The artwork was commissioned by the "TalkingWater" Foundation, a platform for reflection and exchange on water, founded by Ui Phoenix von Kerbl and Horst M. Rechelbacher.