Reykjavík Grapevine - 01.06.2018, Qupperneq 38

Words: Alexander Jean de Fontenay
The Wind and Weather Window Gallery
(WWWG) is an unconventional gallery
located in the front window of the
105-year-old house at Hverfisgata 37.
It’s not a gallery that you go inside, and
you’re thus exposed to the elements
as you observe the mixed media art
installations, which change every one
or two months, through the glass.
The project is run by artist and
curator Kathy Clark, who has been
living and working in Reykjavík since
2005. The gallery’s latest project—
“Journey To Home”—was co-curated
with American exhibition maker,
tour manager and art agent Anna-
belle von Girsewald. Von Girsewald
is no stranger to Icelandic art, having
co-produced Hreinn Friðfinnsson’s
latest addition to his “House Project,”
and is also curating a group exhibition
titled “Earth Homing: Reinventing
Turf Houses,” which will open in Selt-
jarnarnes later this summer.
Another window, another
level
“Journey to Home” is a window art
exhibition and walking tour held in
conjunction with the 31st Reykjavík
Arts Festival, opening on June 3rd and
ending on June 22nd. “The theme is
‘Journey to Home’ and the artists are
presenting their interpretations of
that in their window installations,”
says Kathy. In addition to the original
location on Hverfisgata, nine window
galleries can be found in commercial
and residential windows around the
downtown Reykjavík area, with work
by a plethora of interesting artists.
Kathy wanted to take the concept
of WWWG to another level, so she also
came up with the idea for Dragsúgur
(the Icelandic name for the wind that
comes in from a window). This mobile
window gallery is an exact replica of
the one at Hverfisgata 37. Thus, the
WWWG can now have multiple loca-
tions, each hosting different perfor-
mances and activities.
“I’ve always liked the notion of
things being personified and having
a life of their own—their own charac-
ter and spirit,” says Kathy. “There is a
connection between the physical and
the spiritual. Dragsúgur is the spirit
that has been embodying Hverfisgata
37 for over a hundred years. Now he
gets to experience the human world
and all the interactions that come with
it.”
Espresso and night
Dragsúgur will first be parked in front
of WWWG at Hverfisgata 37 (May 26th
to June 2nd) and Austurvöllur (June
3rd to June 8th) where “The Espresso
Bar” will take place. Egill Sæbjörnsson
and Ívar Glói will offer espressos at the
excellent price of 100 ISK. The mobile
gallery will then move up to Hall-
grímskirkja (June 10th to June 14th)
and finally Bernshöftstorfan (June
14th to June 20th), where Styrmir Örn
Guðmundsson and Agata Mickiewicz
will take over with their installation
“The Night Station.”
Three artists will make sched-
uled performances in connection to
“Journey to Home”. The text-based
performer Erin Honeycutt will perform
as “The Chronicler,” documenting
Dragsúgur’s experiences on his jour-
ney through downtown Reykjavík,
and accumulating the findings into a
performance entitled “Windows Open”
at Bernhöftstorfan on June 15th.
Observe and compile
“The Chronicler will be in the back-
ground, recording and perhaps over-
hearing people’s conversations,” says
Kathy. “He’ll observe and compile
interactions that Dragsúgur will have
with people and the artists involved.”
Arnar Ásgeirsson will invite people
and objects to become part of an unex-
pected scenario in his performance
“Close Encounters” on June 16th.
Emilija Škarnulytė will test the bound-
aries between documentary and fiction
and between ecological and cosmic
forces in her performance “Cloud
Chamber.”
Free guided walking tours of the
various window installations in “Jour-
ney to Home” are scheduled on June
3rd at 4PM, June 9th, 10th, 14th and
15th at 1PM and June 16th and 17th at
2PM. They run for approximately one
hour, and start at the Festival Hub,
where a map of the installations is also
available.
“
There
is
a

connection
between
the
physical
and
the
spiritual.
”
For a schedule, a map of the
installations and info on
participating artists, their
installations and performances,
head to listahatid.is/about-
journey-to-home
Drags
,
Ugur..
A Gust Of Air,
Or A Mobile
Gallery?
A spiritual journey to home by local artists in various Reykjavík windows.