ILLUMINATE SF
SEEING SPHERES
Olafur Eliasson (2019)
Permanent
Mission Bay: 1 Warriors Way, Chase Center (view map)
Olafur Eliasson's largest public artworks in the U.S., "Seeing Spheres", consists of five fifteen-and-a-half-feet-tall polished hydroformed steel spheres that stand in a circle around a central space. Each sphere supports a flat, circular mirrored face, framed by a ring of LED lights, which is oriented inward to reflect the mirrored faces of the surrounding spheres. Together, they produce a surprising environment of multilayered, reflected spaces in which the same people and settings appear again and again, visible from various unexpected angles. Tunnel-like sets of nested reflections open up in the mirrors, repeating countless times and disappearing into the distance.
Situated on Chase Center’s 25,000 square-foot triangular plaza in front of the East Entrance to the arena, this striking new artwork establishes a prominent public setting in Thrive City for visitors to meet and interact.
Best Viewing: After dusk.