Reykjavík Grapevine - 06.05.2011, Blaðsíða 19

19
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 5 — 2011
I assume to be the case. But I am rela-
tively inexpensive compared to what
goes on in the greater artworld.
Obviously one must take into ac-
count that I have to pay a team of fifty
people that work with me in my studio,
not just on Harpa but on every other
project of mine. I work to
make sure that the turn-
over allows me to have
a small profit. In light of
all that, I feel I was reim-
bursed correctly for my
work on Harpa. There is
a healthy relationship be-
tween the amount of work
that has gone into the
project and the amount of money I got
paid. It is not at all overpriced.
I should mention that the numbers
that have been speculated about in
the Icelandic media—my fee does not
come at all close to them [Fréttablaðið
reported that the cost of the façade to-
talled in excess of 3 billion ISK, and that
Ólafur could have received up to 20% of
that amount for his fee].
The truth is that I am being paid the
same amount I would receive for a very
large work of art. If you were to buy a
very large pavilion for your garden from
my company, I would ask about the
same amount of money as I received for
my work on Harpa.
But this was a very boring way of
answering that question, throwing
some realism in there. I can understand
why people want to know who’s being
paid for what. I guess the question peo-
ple are asking is at its core: is there any
sense in the way the money is flowing?
And my answer to that question is: yes,
it makes complete sense. I am not be-
ing paid incredible amounts of money.
A BRUTAL CONTRACT
I can also say that as an artist, I have
worked a lot on upgrading the legal
rights of artists in regard to contract-
ing. My team and I have worked with
German copyright lawyers on creating
a strong contracting basis for artists.
These contracts came out of me work-
ing with Louis Vuitton and BMW, highly
capitalistic companies that handle art in
a super commercial way. The contracts
have become standards in America and
the UK; some people consider them
harsh, but I have such strong contracts
to ensure my status as an artist and that
I would not have to compromise my art
while working with commercial entities.
Artists are always the ones that don’t
consult a lawyer, and they always lose
against large corporations. This is a
long discussion, but to boil it down, the
most important part of these contracts
is to ensure that while I am working for
a commercial entity, I am also creating
a work of art that will not compromise
to business concerns or political con-
cerns or anything outside of the art
itself.
The Harpa exterior is a work of art
and I look forward to seeing that work
of art grow into the city and hopefully
into the population. Of course some
people might not like it—I am less con-
cerned about that; it just means it is on
par with every other work of art.
So you’re not at all worried about
the reception?
In truth: of course I am worried about
the reception. Not in the sense of
whether people think it’s art or not; it’s
more important to me that people can
identify with the building and the con-
cert hall. If they can do that, then I’m
happy. Harpa now has to build its own
history. If the façade can serve as its
identity, that is good, but the signature
lies in the success of running the build-
ing. Ideally this will be a famous con-
cert hall, renowned for its concerts and
acoustics, that happens to have a fan-
tastic work of art
surrounding it. It
would be sad if it
were thought of the
other way, as a fan-
tastic work of art
with OK concerts.
The façade doesn’t
make the concerts
sound better, but
the concerts can make the façade more
meaningful.
NOT WALLPAPER
Is the result as you imagined it
would be, when the project com-
menced?
When I started working on it six years
ago, I didn’t know what the outcome
would be, but my hopes were that this
would be a unique collaboration be-
tween art and architecture. Unique in
the sense that artistic input and the
architectural world would seamlessly
work together. And I feel this has been
accomplished; the south façade is ac-
tually holding up the roof, it does not
have columns holding it up. It is a work
of art, but it is also structural, mean-
ing, it statically holds its own weight—it
doesn’t have any hidden columns or
support beams on the inside. That’s a
design decision. If I had been integrat-
ed later into the process, like artists
usually are, I would have been present-
ed with a finished building with a south
wall that needed decorating.
This is extremely interesting to me,
and it has been an ambition—creat-
ing art that does not merely serve as
wallpaper, but as the actual wall, so to

summer school
STUDY ICELANDIC AND HAVE FUN!
MAY – JUNE – JULY – AUGUST
LANGUAGE AND CULTURE
read – write – SPEAK - LISTEN
fieldwork - COOKING
SMALL CLASSES
experienced teachers – new material
morning classes – four days a week
evening classes – three days a week
www.skoli.eu
information@skoli.eu
tel: 551-7700
gsm: 821-7163
Welcome Velkomin
www. f j a l ako t tu r inn . i s
Opening hOurs
Every day from 18:00 – 22:00
Fridays & Saturdays from 18:00 – 23:00
Sundays from 18:00 - 22:00
New Nord i c Cu i s ine
in the heart of the city center
A unique dining experience
like never before
The restaurant is warm and friendly
and has the atmosphere of old
Icelandic and nordic style.
Our ambition is in serving high
quality food, having a wide
selection of good wine and
providing the best service.
Pond
City Hall
A
ða
ls
træ
ti
Tj
ar
na
rg
at
a
Pó
st
hú
ss
træ
ti
Kirkjustræti
Austurvöllur
Austurstræti
Vonarstræti
Fja laköttur inn | Aðalstræti 16 | 101 Reyk javík | Tel . 514 6060 | Fax 514 6030
EX
PO
·
w
w
w
.e
xp
o
.is
Ideally this will be a famous concert hall,
renowned for its concerts and acoustics that
happens to have a fantastic work of art
surrounding it.
CONTINUES OVER