STARA - 16.04.2015, Síða 43

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Is this the first time you have done a residency?
No. I have been to the SÍM residency several
times since 2009, including the lovely one in
Berlin. But the first residency that I participated
in was in Florida, USA, at the Atlantic Center of
the Arts with master artist Gillian Wearing when
I was a graduate student at Concordia University
in Montreal in 2003. It is always a thrill to receive
an acceptance letter and it’s a special feeling to
know you are appreciated as an artist and at the
same time know that you are going to experience
this future unknown journey with an open heart.
Why Iceland?
Iceland has always been a place that fascinated
me. I remember seeing the movie 101 Reykjavik
when I was younger and living in New York City
at the time, and wanted to know more about this
tiny island. It kind of felt like an exotic place to
be immersed in. A tiny, quaint, but strong Nordic
independent artistic community living on this
tiny volcanic island in the middle of the ocean,
yet embodied with a unique cultural richness
of magical proportions, all manifesting itself in
Reykjavik. It felt truly contemporary, yet a hybrid
of the past and future fused into this mystical
creativity. The experimental music scene left a
big impression on my inner self. It was a kind
of a magnetic pull in wanting to experience the
landscape through the haunting music of Björk,
Múm, Sigur Rós and Hildur Guðnadóttir to name
a few.
Where did you first hear about the SÍM Residency?
I had just been invited to exhibit my work in
Gothenburg, Sweden and therefore received the
opportunity to go to Valand University to give
an artist talk. I met several Icelandic artists who
were completing their Masters of Fine Arts and
was asked to come to their studios to talk about
their artistic practices. In turn, they told me
about the SÍM.
First word you learned in Icelandic?
Heima.
What are you working on at the SÍM residency?
I have created quite a few projects in Iceland
that have been activated through performance
interventions or experimental noise events where
I have collaborated on several occasions with
Icelandic artists. I enjoy collaboration and my
practice is moving towards more socially en-
gaged work. Each experience in Iceland has been
unique and rewarding in terms of new knowledge
and new creative processes.
Last August of 2014, I came to Reykjavik with my
Montreal performance and experimental noise
collective called Sonic Electric. We came to the
SÍM to compose a new piece of improvisational
electronic music and to perform in front of an
Icelandic audience. We presented this new mate-
rial at Mengi as part of our final exhibition and
to celebrate the end of our residency.