A major installation in Paris by Olafur Eliasson may be cancelled because of the terrorist attacks of 13 November, but the Danish-Icelandic artist hopes it will go ahead as planned. More than 120 tonnes of ice from a fjord near Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, have been harvested to create Ice Watch, an ephemeral work addressing climate change, intended to be placed in the Place de la République to coincide with the UN Climate Summit (COP 21) on 29 November. It is unclear now if the artist will be allowed to use the site, which is currently a focal point of mourning. A spokesman for Studio Olafur Eliasson told us on Wednesday (18 November) that the artist is considering how the work might have a presence at the summit: “We are in close contact with the French authorities in trying to find the best solution.”
The artist, who devised the work with the geologist Minik Rosing, told us before the fatal attacks in Paris that the French ambassador to Denmark, François Zimeray, played a crucial role securing the co-operation of the French government and Paris authorities. Zimeray, who still backs the project going ahead, was impressed by Ice Watch’s inaugural installation in Copenhagen last year. The ambassador, who survived a deadly attack in Copenhagen at a debate on free speech in February, says that the French foreign minister Laurent Fabius “immediately showed great enthusiasm” for the project. “Like me, he wanted it because it makes global warming manifest and raises awareness of the urgency. It is better than a speech,” he says.
Ice Watch is supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies. The US philanthropist and former mayor of New York or his charity did not respond to a request for comment.
The work is due to be realised with the support of the London-based art and environment non-profit, Julie's Bicycle. A spokeswoman tells us that it is working with Studio Olafur Eliasson and the French authorities.
Meanwhile, the 12 blocks of Arctic ice are on their way from Greenland to France via Denmark.
UPDATE: Speaking at a press conference in Vienna yesterday (19 November), Olafur Eliasson said he would prefer an alternative site to the Place de la République. "It would be strange to occupy a site of remorse," he said. But the weight of each block of ice limits the number of suitable sites.