Olafur Eliasson's Ice Watch Melts on Thames Banks to Highlight Climate Urgency
On December 11, 2018, Olafur Eliasson's Ice Watch installation debuted on the banks of the Thames opposite Tate Modern in London, consisting of 24 ice blocks harvested from a Greenland fjord that will melt completely by December 21. A smaller version with 6 blocks was placed in the City of London outside Bloomberg's European offices. The work, created in collaboration with geologist Minik Rosing and supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, coincides with the opening of COP24 in Katowice, Poland, the first major climate conference since the IPCC's alarming October 8 report, which set a 12-year deadline for reducing harmful emissions. Ice Watch has toured globally in various versions since 2014.
Key facts
- Installation titled Ice Watch by Olafur Eliasson
- 24 ice blocks from a Greenland fjord placed on Thames banks opposite Tate Modern
- Smaller version of 6 blocks placed outside Bloomberg offices in City of London
- Debuted December 11, 2018, coinciding with COP24 opening
- Will remain until ice melts completely, around December 21
- Collaboration with geologist Minik Rosing
- Supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies
- IPCC report published October 8, 2018 set 12-year deadline for emission reductions
Entities
Artists
- Olafur Eliasson
Institutions
- Tate Modern
- Bloomberg Philanthropies
- Bloomberg
- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
- COP24
Locations
- London
- Thames
- Greenland
- Katowice
- Poland
- City of London