Olafur Eliasson’s new project Lifeworld is set to debut as part of the CIRCA program from October 1st to December 31st, 2024, across major urban screens. Known for his powerful public installations, Eliasson transforms iconic advertising billboards in Piccadilly Circus, Times Square, K-Pop Square, and Berlin’s Kurfürstendamm into spaces of reflection. Lifeworld disrupts the usual bombardment of crisp, consumer-driven images with softer, blurred forms, inviting passers-by to pause and reconsider their surroundings.
This new work seeks to reconnect viewers with the public spaces they often traverse without question. Eliasson explains that cities like Piccadilly and Times Square can feel overwhelming, with little space for choice beyond consumption. Lifeworld aims to challenge that, offering a moment of contemplation that Eliasson hopes will encourage people to ask, “What kind of city do I want to live in?” By softening the hard edges of urban life, the installation opens up new possibilities for interpretation, turning functional spaces into sites for personal exploration.
Eliasson views this project as part of his broader journey toward vulnerability and openness, an emotional process he began years ago. He reflects on how, in his youth, he armored himself to withstand a harsh world, but now he’s in the process of “unprotecting” himself. This idea is woven into Lifeworld, where the blurred visuals become a metaphor for peeling away layers, allowing for a deeper connection with oneself and the environment.
For Eliasson, public spaces should be co-created by the diverse range of people who move through them daily—commuters, tourists, street performers, and even protesters. He believes that these spaces come to life through the plurality of perspectives they host. Lifeworld embodies this belief by inviting all who encounter it to find their own meaning.
The installation will also be featured online via WeTransfer, expanding its reach to millions of users globally. Through these physical and digital interventions, Lifeworld encourages collective reflection on how we inhabit both urban and digital environments.
All photography courtesy of CIRCA
