Reykjavík Grapevine - 24.08.2018, Qupperneq 56

Moving Between
Shadow And Light
“Shadow Nymphs” explores the dark and bright side
of humanity, and its (lost) connection to nature
It’s just another grey morning in Reyk-
javik and one cannot help feeling a
little low, maybe even anxious. It is an
emotion that, along with the feeling of
sadness or pain, we humans often try
to reject. Feeling happy is seen as being
the norm. But how can light exist with-
out creating shadow?
Just as the cycle of day and night, hu-
mans have a full spectrum of emotions
that ranges from darkness to light. “We
all have both sides,” explains Laura
Durban, one of the creators of “Shadow
Nymphs.” “If we can embrace both of
them, then we can work with them.”
“Shadow Nymphs” is an attempt to re-
connect to this dualism, and to nature
in general.
Caressing the senses of
sight and hearing
Laura Durban is a multidisciplinary vi-
sual artist that recently performed her
piece “Persephone” at LungA Art Festi-
val. Her collaborator, Sunna Friðjóns-
dóttir, who recently graduated from the
Iceland Academy of the Arts, is a multi
instrumentalist and composer. Togeth-
er, they created “Shadow Nymphs,” an
art piece that merges several art disci-
plines and themes, which will be per-
formed at Mengi on August 24th.
Metamorphoses
For those not familiar with Greek my-
thology, nymphs are beings that have
a human form but can transform their
bodies into aspects of nature, like birch
trees. “Those are my favourites,” Laura
smiles. “This type of nymph stands as
birch trees on rivers, but
during full moon, they
transform into beautiful
girls and start dancing
around.”
Laura was inspired
by the writings of Bryn-
dís Björgvinsdóttir, who
puts forth the thesis that
legends and folklores are
a reflection of issues or
shortcomings dealt with
in the current society. For
example, elves are living
in wild, even dangerous
parts of nature — while
we remain in the safe
space of our smartphones
screens. “So nymphs are what I am long-
ing for,” Laura explains. “They connect
to nature not only with their minds, but
also with their bodies.”
We are nature
According to the visual artist, seeing
nature as something separate from hu-
man society is a huge problem. The more
we disconnect, the less we are able to
change it. Thus, we need to reconnect
to the natural aspects outside of us, but
also inside of us — both the
dark sides, and the bright
ones. This dualism is part
of human nature. “I want
to make clear that positiv-
ity only comes from facing
darkness as well,” Laura says.
Honesty wins
“If you go to a concert or an
art show, what really gets you
is an authentic piece where
you see the artist reflected
in it,” Laura explains. “Sunna
and I are not the provocative,
cool, smoking kind of artists.
We have to be ourselves and
be completely honest. And I think that's
what creates change in others — and
hopefully motivates them to be honest
with themselves.”
Prepare for an evening with both
visual and musical performances that
guide the audience through the deepest
depths of human emotions, and back
into the light.
Sunna Friðjónsdóttir and Laura Durban
56The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 15— 2018Culture
Words:
Phil Uwe Widiger

Photo:
Art Bicnick
Info:
“Shadow
Nymphs” is a
multidisciplinary
art piece that will
be performed at
Mengi on August
24th.
“Nymphs
are beings
that have a
human form
but can
transform
their
bodies into
aspects of
nature.”