Sunlight Graffitti

Artist Olafur Eliasson invited the public to draw with light. It sounds impossible, doesn’t it? But with the help of a little sun, it became a reality.

Ever since his childhood, Olafur Eliasson has been fascinated by light. He liked the idea of a light that you could hold in your hand, so he went out and created one. The result was a solar powered hand-held lamp called ‘Little Sun’. Eliasson hopes his invention will help the people around the world who live without electricity.

Using his artistic talents, Eliasson set out to spread the word about his lamp and the issue of people living without electricity through an interactive art exhibition at the Tate Modern gallery in London. Visitors to the gallery were invited to use the lamp to make their own light art creations. By standing in front of a camera which was connected to a computer programme that could photograph light in motion, the participants used the Little Sun lamps in their hands to make drawings just like graffiti, but drawn with sunlight.

The ‘Little Sun’ then inspired a global community project. Artist Olafur Eliasson started the project in 2012 with engineer Frederik Ottesen. The organization believes in the power of sustainable light and energy. They believe it can transform lives, especially for the 1.1 billion people globally who live without access to energy.

Communities without electricity feel the benefits of the artist-designed, solar products and their social business model. Co-founder of littlesun.com, Frederik, has said that we are all connected by our need for light, energy and happiness and that we are all connected by the sun.