Oxford has gained eight brand-new walkable landmarks that literally shines after dark. Your planetary assembly, the first permanent UK public artwork by world-renowned Icelandic-Danish artist Olafur Eliasson, will be unveiled this evening in Fallaize Park, part of the new Oxford North innovation district.
This is more than an artwork: it’s an immersive outdoor experience, like walking through a scaled-down “solar system trail. Free to visit every day of the year, designed to spark wonder, conversation, and community.
What You’ll Experience
- Eight illuminated sculptures: Glass polyhedra inspired by the planets, glowing in colours drawn from telescopic space imagery.
- A walk through the solar system: Arranged along meandering park paths, each sculpture acts as both a wayfinding point and a gathering spot.
- Day and night appeal: In daylight, the geometric forms shimmer in natural light; after dusk, they ignite with cosmic hues, transforming the park into a glowing constellation.
This is public art you step inside of, with sculptures inviting you to pause, sit, meet friends, or simply wander and reflect.
Who is Olafur Eliasson?
Olafur Eliasson (b.1967) is one of the most influential artists working today, celebrated internationally for artworks that merge art, science, nature and community. Born in Copenhagen and raised partly in Iceland, he studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts before founding Studio Olafur Eliasson in Berlin in 1995. The studio now employs more than 100 people — from architects and programmers to art historians and craftspeople — reflecting his collaborative, cross-disciplinary approach.
Eliasson’s work often takes the form of large-scale installations and public commissions that invite people to see their environment differently. Among his most iconic projects are:
- The weather project (2003) at Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall, which drew more than two million visitors under a vast glowing artificial sun.
- The New York City Waterfalls (2008), four man-made cascades on the East River, commissioned by the Public Art Fund.
- Your rainbow panorama (2011), a circular walkway of coloured glass on top of the ARoS Museum in Aarhus, Denmark.
- Ice Watch (2014–2018), where he placed melting icebergs from Greenland in city squares across Europe, including outside Tate Modern, to highlight the climate emergency.
- Fjordenhus (2018), a striking building in Vejle, Denmark, and the first designed entirely by his studio.
His themes are consistent: our relationship to nature, climate, perception and public space. By creating works that are immersive and accessible, Eliasson encourages viewers to reflect on both their inner world and the shared world we inhabit.
That is what makes Your planetary assembly at Oxford North so significant: not only is it his first permanent public artwork in the UK, but it also places Oxford at the centre of a global conversation about how culture, science and community can co-exist in shared spaces.
Why You Should See it
Oxford North is best known as a new hub for science, education, and innovation. With Your planetary assembly, it also becomes a destination for culture.
Eliasson himself describes the work as:
“a peaceful oasis that invites people to gather, talk and share space, while also reminding us of our place in the cosmos.”
For Oxford residents, it’s a new free, family-friendly activity: part art trail, part astronomy lesson, and part community meeting place.
Visit Details
- Fallaize Park, Oxford North, The Red Hall, Thomas White Street, Oxford OX2 8GD
- Open daily, free entry
- Best seen at dusk, when the sculptures glow with colour
A New Space for Oxford
Fallaize Park is a two-acre green space at the heart of Oxford North, designed as much for locals as for workers in the new labs and offices. Together with Eliasson’s glowing sculptures, it sets the tone for Oxford North as a place where art, business, science, and community meet.
Don’t miss it: Whether you’re an art lover, a stargazer, or simply curious, Your planetary assembly is one of Oxford’s most exciting new cultural attractions. It’s free, it’s outdoors, and it’s already becoming one of the city’s most talked-about sights.
