The industrial revolution was, and in some places still is, a period of time where man experienced huge leaps and bounds in productivity due to a chain reaction of simultaneous technological advances. This time saw the switch of man-power to the power of machines, helped along by electricity, fuels, cheaper materials and an abundant supply of labor to operate these factories.As industrialism began to take hold, the social makeup of Europe and the United States especially began to change. The masses moved from self sufficient means in rural areas to work in the dense, fast growing cities that housed the factories. These eventually grew into the financial and political centers of today. The people who rushed to these centers in the hope of catching the upswing of the revolution may not have encountered exactly what was promised. Laborers worked long hours in dangerous locations with little pay. The industrial revolution birthed many of the advances it promised, but the average man did not receive the level of benefits these promises seemed to envision. Rather, it was the rich manufacturers that reaped the benefits. Living conditions for the majority of the population plummeted, and despite the advances in technology and manufacturing, the effect on the environment and people's connection with it seemingly outweighed these gains. During the revolution, London experienced 80% less sunshine than than pre-revolution times, due simply to the immense amount of smog. Natural conditions deteriorated, and so did the livelihood of the majority of the population.
Claude Monet's 'Impression Sunset' (1872) is a loosely painted, but overall realistic impression of a skyline or port dotted with cranes and machinery, filled with the smog produced by the factories below as the sun rises. This sunrise brings on the day where man finally overcame nature and learned how to harness, control, use and manipulate nature for the advances of the human race.
As industrialization spread and developed, the dense metropolises that the majority of the population called home moved further and further away from the natural settings of yesteryear. Grass fields made way for cobblestone roads and paths, towering trees were replaced by tall, gray concrete buildings, blue skies and starry nights were blanketed by the haze of smog produced as a by product to these technological advances. In many ways, Monet's painting seems to suggest the dawn of the disconnection of man from nature.
Olafur Eliasson's 'Weather Project' (2006) plays on this recent disconnection from nature, and the underlying attraction that still remains despite humans living in a vastly different environment than only a handful of generations ago. Installed at the Tate Modern in London, Eliasson covered the high ceiling of the hall in slightly jagged mirrors, then installed a massive semi circular orange light at the very top of the high wall, as it met the ceiling. The result as an overwhelmingly powerful impression of a sun, with the mirrors reflecting the semi circle to create a huge sphere of orange light. The slight jaggedness added a feeling of distortion to the circle, creating a genuine looking "sun", raised high up in the sky as if it were a sunset illuminating a dark city.
Visitors to the installation (over 2 million in total) were highly moved by the work. People instantly felt a real connection to this sunrise, and many began to bask in it's ambiance. With the mirrors covering the ceiling, some viewers seemed to 'sunbathe' in it's glow, watching their minuscule reflections on the ceiling above, against this gigantic circle of light. This interactive platform provides an experience in the power and influence that nature has on man, and shows how it's presence remains a base of our human instinct.
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrialization
http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/exhibitions/eliasson/default.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olafur_Eliasson
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Risks_and_benefits_of_sun_exposure
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