The Polar Night is a annual period of time in Lapland during which the sun does not rise above the horizon. Despite the lack of a sun in the sky, this is not a completely dark time; light emanates from the horizon filling the sky with spectacular blue, purple and pink tones. The snow covered landscape reflects this coloured light bringing a surreal vibrancy to this dark season.
Our sculptural installation 'Polar night' seeks to celebrate this natural phenomenon by recreating this effect in the summer months. The artwork changes its colour according to the intensity and direction of sunlight hitting it. It consists of 252 white aluminium plates arranged in a vertical grid. The ends of the aluminium plates are shaped to create the overall appearance of ice crystals. On the rear of the artwork there are poly carbonate fins of different colours that cast coloured light over the white plates. From the front of the sculpture, the coloured fins are almost invisible adding to the sense of phenomena in the artwork.
