Reykjavík Grapevine - 14.07.2006, Page 17

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Eiland – No Man’s land
Five Icelandic artists are collaborating on a project known as Eiland, or No Man’s
Land, a kind of imaginary community or country within the context of an art show.
The location they have chosen is in and around a lighthouse in Grótta, which ties in
nicely with the theme of one of the exhibits: Friðrik Örn Hjaltested’s photographic
series, which features pictures of a number of lighthouses throughout the country.
Eiland literally means “not a country”, but sounds exactly like the word eyland,
which means an island. This play on words is further underlined by the fact that the
area around the lighthouse is periodically submerged and transformed into a pseudo-
island, or micro-nation, which the public will now be invited to visit daily from July
15th to August 20th.
The five artists taking part each have their own niche. Ásdís Sif Gunnarsdóttir
will display photography, f lags, performance pieces and video art. Haraldur Jónsson
has an installation with some sketches as well as sound sculptures both inside and
outside the three man-made structures that can be found in the area.
In addition to the art itself, there is a café and regular unplugged concerts are
planned for the duration of the exhibit. For a few special occasions a ferry will take
visitors to the “island” during high tides, creating a bizarre private venue for a variety
of gatherings that have yet to be announced – one that is completely isolated despite
it’s being a stones throw from a dense population centre. If you like things a little off
beat and arty, you’re probably going to have good reason to visit Eiland in the near
future. GHJ
Foreigners in the Fjord
Eyjafjörður has become home to a large number of immigrants in recent years, and
at present at least 400 individuals from 40 different nations reside in the area. To cel-
ebrate this newfound diversity, and explore the daily lives and different backgrounds
of the people themselves, a group of second year media students from the University
of Akureyri have put together an exhibit that features numerous portraits of, and
interviews with, new Icelanders.
The is exhibition is comprised of photographs, taken by Ragnhildur Aðalsteinsdót-
tir, along with the responses the subjects gave to a series of questions concerning their
reasons for coming to Iceland, where they came from, what they left behind and what
their relationship is with their adopted home and society.
Initially limited to Akureyri, the show is now on the road and can be viewed at Café
Cultura until August 19th. GHJ
Fashion at the Culture House
Three oversized photographs of the rural Icelandic landscape hang from the
slanted walls of the loft showroom. The moss-covered rocks and lava fields
are flushed with flat bluish tones, bathing it in a cold light different from
that around the 30 or so manikins displaying the work of nine Icelandic
designers, as a part of the Culture House’s exhibition of Icelandic fashion.
While the photographs are without a doubt meant to fall into the
background, their larger-than-life and wholly realistic representation of
cold hard Icelandic nature have a major presence in the exhibit, and in that
presence, seem to be constantly implying something…
This exhibit is really about Iceland.
Indeed, as one of the walls proudly declares, “the shades of white, purple,
green and black produced by the changing light on the landscape, the
vibrant nightlife of Reykjavík, Icelandic music and literature, art technology
and tradition are the sources of inspiration that feed Icelandic fashion.”
Entering the showroom with this idea quite literally always in the back-
ground, one can’t help but begin to view the individual designs through
the filtered lens of the natural backdrop. The collections, labelled but not
separated by designer, enter into immediate competition with each other;
the backdrop seems to imply that the influence of the landscape is key to a
design’s “Icelandic-ness”.
Seeing past this shallow attempt at connecting nine otherwise outstand-
ing collections is crucial towards appreciating this exhibit.
Each collection, in its own right, is outstandingly beautiful and interest-
ing, mostly because reflected in each are the very different ideas and inspi-
rations of the designer, not necessarily the abstract beauty of the landscape.
In one design in particular, that of Steinunn Sigurðadóttir, the influ-
ence of Icelandic nature is difficult to see. Sigurðadóttir created a stunning
collection working solely with black and white colours. The fabrics of her
delicate and feminine designs layer together in a kind of natural harmony,
an unplanned mix.
The exhibition, which opened June 29th, will be on view until February
next year. VÞ
>>>ouTSidE rEyKJaVíK:
Seyðisfjörður:
SKaFTFEll
www.skaftfell.is
10.06-10.08.2006
Sigurður Guðmundsson and
Kristján Guðmundsson
08.09.2006 - ?
Straight outta Skaftfell – Baldur
Björnsson and lóa Hjálmtýsdóttir
Hafnarfjörður:
HaFNarBorG
Open 11-17, every day but Tuesdays.
www.hafnarborg.is
Keflavík:
SuðSuðVESTur
Hafnargata 22
230 Reykjanesbær
http://www.sudsudvestur.is/
24.06-16.07.2006
Heimir Björgúlfsson
akureyri:
GallErí +
Brekkugata 35
(Closed for the summer, may re-
open in August)
JÓNaS Viðar GallEry
Opening hours: Fri.-Sat. 13-18
aKurEyri arT MuSEuM
Open from 12-17. Closed on Mondays.
http://www.listasafn.akureyri.is/
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