'Gesellschaftsspiegel' ('Society Mirror') in Hamburg, Germany

Installed in 2020, Gesellschaftsspiegel is a public artwork in Hamburg by Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson. Two brown-black patinated brass sculptures, each about 28 feet (8.5 meters) tall, stand on raised legs, allowing visitors to walk underneath. Their geometric forms, a triangular base and a diamond shape, contrast with the ornate historic buildings nearby. From a distance, they resemble abstract rockets on stilts. Inside, a kaleidoscope of angled mirrors reflects fragments of the surrounding architecture and sky, creating shifting patterns that change with light and movement.

The title Gesellschaftsspiegel translates as “society mirror.” Eliasson has said the work is intended to draw attention upward, toward the open air above, which he describes as a shared element of the urban landscape. By framing views of it within mirrored structures that function as both interior and exterior spaces, the pavilions invite visitors to slow down in the busy city center and consider the relationship between public space and private perception.

The sculptures were installed as part of a public art commission tied to the redesign of Alter Wall, an Old Town street, into a pedestrian precinct. During planning, members of the Green Party proposed planting trees along the route, but the project’s architects opposed this, citing concerns that trees would obscure the historic facades. Ultimately, only the two works at either end were realized.