An important part of local and global ecosystems, the lake is facing significant drought due to diversion and climate change
Olafur Eliasson, the Icelandic Danish artist known for ambitious installations with ecological messages, is working on his first public commission in the Intermountain West that draws inspiration from the Great Salt Lake in Utah. Called A symphony of disappearing sounds for the Great Salt Lake, the temporary installation will debut in the early spring of 2026 in a public park in Salt Lake City and consist of field recordings of the Great Salt Lake’s wildlife and a changing light projection. The largest of its kind in the Western Hemisphere, the Great Salt Lake is experiencing an ecological crisis due to a significant decline in water levels. In 2022, the lake reached its lowest level after decades of diverting water for the growing local infrastructure and due to worsening effects of climate change.
“When I first encountered the Great Salt Lake and was introduced to the complex issues that are affecting the lake, I asked myself what art could contribute to the discussion,” Eliasson tells The Art Newspaper. “The lake is both deeply local—intertwined as it is in the lives of nearby farms and communities—and part of vast, planetary systems of water flows and animal migration. My artistic aim is to bring these scales together, to invite people to experience the lake not only at the human level but also through a broader perspective."
Eliasson intends the installation to “amplify what is already there”, he adds. His piece will feature sounds from the lake including birds, insects and the water itself. The projections will reveal large, illuminated spheres that change depending on the field recordings, giving a visual form to the lake’s frequencies. “These recordings make it possible to listen with the lake, and to become attuned to the more-than-human world,” Eliasson explains.
The project is part of Wake the Great Salt Lake, an initiative to commission artists to create temporary public works that raise awareness of the issues facing the lake and inspire action to protect its future. Wake the Great Salt Lake is supported by Salt Lake City Arts Council, Salt Lake City Mayor’s Office and Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Public Art Challenge.
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