Olafur Eliasson, Turning
Thinking Into Doing Into Art —
Book Design

CREDITS —

Olafur Eliasson, author
Geoffrey Garrison, editor
Anna Engberg-Pedersen, editor
Kristina Köper, editor
Vina Rostomyan, design
Published by the Institut für Raumexperimente
Images © Studio Olafur Eliasson

Turning Thinking Into Doing Into Art documents four lectures Olafur Eliasson delivered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The lectures were part of a ten-week residency organized by the Institut für Raumexperimente at Alle School of Fine Arts and Design, Addis Ababa University—a collaboration between Berlin University of the Arts and Ethiopian artists and students.

I designed the book as two books in one: it can be opened from either end, with lectures in Amharic on one side and English on the other. The two texts meet in the middle, where images from the residency live—a visual bridge between the two languages. The structure ensures neither language is prioritized; both are equally the entry point. The design reflects the reciprocal nature of the residency itself: a conversation between two places, two languages, two perspectives meeting on common ground.