107 OLAFUR ELIASSON

Lunchtime in the Berlin studio of the artist of light comes to life in a book published by Phaidon. A table stretching 24 metres brings together ninety assistants and collaborators. With each forkful, the team spirit grows and the creative juices flow

Lunch is never a conventional event at the Berlin studio of Olafur Eliasson. It takes place in what used to be the Pfefferberg brewery, where there’s a kitchen measuring thirty square metres and a table twelve metres long that can seat up to ninety people for lunch, which is announced by a bell that rings at 1 o’clock sharp. The first person to turn up is Eliasson himself: Denmark’s artist of light, the master of optical effects and suspended atmospheres, who installed an artificial sun at Tate Modern in London and who has announced that this summer he’ll be doing multiple installations at the Palace of Versailles and in its gardens. As a star he’s worth €900,000 (the price quoted for his work entitled Fivefold Eye) and was presented last April in the unusual role of cook/host in a book published by Phaidon entitled “Studio Olafur Eliasson: The Kitchen”. «Cooking means looking after others», explains Eliasson. «It’s a gesture of generosity and hospitality that works like a social glue, and teaches people how to give and share». The people in his food-sharing circle are his ninety assistants: architects, designers, technicians, researchers, art historians, archivists, and artisans who spend three quarters of an hour exchanging ideas, projects, and information as well as chat, gossip, and food. «Maybe it’s naive of me to think that everyone spends their lunch break talking about work, but there’s more chance of finding inspiration at the dining table than when you’re on your own at the desk». This lunch ritual began in 2003 with the 15 members of staff Eliasson had at the time; surrounded by mists and single-frequency lighting he worked out his project entitled Your Silent Running whilst they cooked «something hot to eat using just a couple of saucepans». Since then the lunch break has become like a fresco of the