Raw Material Company present Olafur Eliasson & Frederik Ottesen Sunu Jant on view 28 February–30 March 2013.
Olafur Eliasson, untitled, 2012. Digital print. Courtesy of Studio Olafur Eliasson.
Suñu Jant is a Wolof phrase that means “our sun.” Raw Material Company features Little Sun, a solar-powered artwork developed by acclaimed artist Olafur Eliasson and engineer Frederik Ottesen to get light to the 1.6 billion people in the world with no access to electricity. Suñu Jant marks the beginning of an ambitious plan to distribute Little Sun in Senegal, spearheaded by Raw Material Company.
The exhibition includes a series of photographs and sixteen short films by young, emerging filmmakers from Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and the Americas made in response to an invitation from Olafur Eliasson to produce works about light, energy and Little Sun. The program includes films by Alejo Moquillansky (Argentina), Ana Peru (USA), Anocha Suwichakornpong (Thailand), Dominga Sotomayor (Chile), Hawa Essuman (Kenya), Kivu Ruhorahoza (Rwanda), Man Kit Lam (The Netherlands), Natasha Mendonca (India), Omelga Mthiyane (Souh Africa), Oscar Ruiz Navia (Colombia), Peter Tukei Muhumuza (Uganda), Sherman Ong (Malaysia) and Susan Youssef (USA).
Since the early 1990s, Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson has continually pursued ideas of sharing and sensing space. He explores and challenges people’s patterns of perception, finding nature a constant source of fascination, inside as well as outside. Little Sun is a powerful reminder that we share the same fundamental needs all over the world—happiness, love and light in our lives.
“Little Sun is a work of art that works in life. It transforms the light that is for all of us into light that is for each of us. Light determines what we do and how we do it. Little Sun is a wedge that opens up the urgent discussion about bringing sustainable energy to all from the perspective of art.” –Olafur Eliasson
“The African continent possesses abundant natural energy resources, and yet sustainable forms of energy supply are not widely available to its population. Africa provides an ideal ground for discussing this urgent global energy crisis. Raw Material Company is very happy to join Little Sun in spreading light and safe energy in Senegal.” –Koyo Kouoh
For more information please contact: [email protected]
For more information on Little Sun please visit:
www.littlesun.com
Raw Material Company
Centre pour l’art, le savoir et la société
Center for art, knowledge and society
4074 bis Sicap Amitié 2
BP 22710 Dakar, Senegal
Hours: Tuesday–Saturday 10–7pm
T 221 864 0248
www.rawmaterialcompany.org