2024年05月16日
International Day of Light
'Feelings are Facts,' by artist Olafur Eliasson and architect Ma Yansong, Beijing, China (© Feng Li/Getty Images News)
Today is the International Day of Light! Held on May 16, the day marks the anniversary of invention of the laser by the American physicist and engineer Theodore Maiman in 1960. This pioneering creation epitomises how innovation can revolutionise society, impacting fields from communications to healthcare. The scope of the celebration extends beyond lasers, embracing light's presence in every aspect of human existence, from art and culture to science and technology.
Today's image features 'Feelings Are Facts,' a collaborative installation by Danish artist Olafur Eliasson and Beijing-based architect Ma Yansong of MAD Studio. This masterpiece was housed in the Great Hall of the Ullens Centre for Contemporary Art in Beijing, China, and filled the hall with fog and illuminated it with coloured lights. A grid of lights partitioned the haze into the primary colours of red, green and blue, blending seamlessly at intersections to create transitional hues of cyan, magenta and yellow. Gallery visitors relied solely on intersecting hues of coloured fields to navigate the fog.