Olafur Eliasson to Install Glacier Artwork in Italy's Val Senales

Olafur Eliasson is creating his first artwork on a glacier crest, located in Val Senales (Schnalstal), South Tyrol, Italy. The project, developed with local association Talking Waters Society, addresses glacial melt. The installation on the Hochjochferner glacier at 3,212 meters features a 410-meter ridge path marked by arch portals spaced to reflect intervals between ice ages, leading to a 7-meter-diameter steel and glass sphere called the "Duomo del sole." Its rings rotate every 15 minutes following the sun's apparent motion, referencing solstices and equinoxes. The sphere will transmit live sounds and images of the glacier to Reykjavik and New York's climate museum. Construction faces extreme conditions: winds up to 200 km/h and temperatures from -30°C to 30°C. The project was officially presented on September 23, 2019 (autumnal equinox), with a first draft from December 2018. The planned inauguration was June 20, 2020 (summer solstice), but may be delayed due to COVID-19 restrictions.