Olafur Eliasson’s Faceted Wall Installation Glows Inside An Opera House

Translucent, patterned walls by Olafur Eliasson define the interior space of the Norwegian cultural center. Marx Brothers movies and epic Queen albums aside, a night at the opera should offer more than just another evening out--just the idea of the experience is enough to evoke thoughts of black-tie glamour and big-time cultural consumption. In Oslo, the striking, glass-and-aluminum-clad New Norwegian National Opera and Ballet House by local architecture stars Snøhetta has been welcoming visitors to enjoy the performing arts since 2008 and, once inside, they’re treated to a site-specific installation by another Nordic notable, Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson’s site-specific installation of luminous walls that define the space of the sky-high foyer. Snøhetta describes the building’s sloping, marble-clad rooftop as a “carpet” that c...