In climate change iconography, visualising vulnerability to persuade the public that not all environmental problems can be seen is quite the challenge. Utilising watercolours to investigate time, movement and colour, Olafur Eliasson encourages the viewer to reflect on their relationship with nature. Built around a central glowing, contemplative circle, the work conjures subtle illusions of space and the technique used creates a unique way of seeing. Spread around this central motif, concentric rings spread out as a result of accumulation of thin washes of pigments—layer after layer of colour. To viewers who stare at the circle intently for a few seconds, an afterimage effect is produced. A spectral circle of a complementary colour remains in the eyes of the viewer even when they look away. Therefore, the viewer ends up making the artwork, being the artist. Similarly, various climate change phenomena cannot be directly seen but are still harmful and very much existent. The subtle notion of accountability is also raised with the viewer taking the role of the artist. 

Solar Pulse (Early) charts out the relationship between ‘voids’ and ‘solids’ with the ellipse representing spatial ambiguity and the overlapping rings giving a sense of motion. Furthermore, it traces the relation between the nearly blank paper and areas where paint has been applied. As lighter hues are achieved in watercolours by diluting the pigments with water rather than adding white, the areas of the work that appear most luminous are those that interestingly contain the least amount of paint.