Reykjavík Grapevine - 07.12.2018, Blaðsíða 23

Concourse Discourse
Terminal exhibitions en route to Iceland
A new terminal is coming to Keflavík
next summer. Well, not literally. ‘Ter-
minal’ is a collaborative exhibition of
artists based in Berlin and Reykjavík.
The first shows were held in Berlin—
but that is not the project’s final des-
tination. Series curator Annabelle von
Girsewald spoke with us from Berlin
about Terminal (TXL), and what to ex-
pect at Terminal (KEF).
Checking in
“The concept is that it is an exchange
between Reykjavík and Berlin because
Berlin is almost like a terminal of
Reykjavík,” she chuckles. “There are so
many Icelandic artists here. I’m show-
ing three that are based here. The next
exhibition will be artists mostly based
in Reykjavík.”
Although the project is called Termi-
nal, it actually started with a post office
called Postwerk. “Last summer I got
a call about a former post office,” she
says. “300 square metres with 6 metre
high ceilings. So of course I wanted to
do something there. Since it’s located
in Tegel, where the airport is, the air-
port aesthetics concept came about. But
since it’s in a post office, the subtext
was communication.”
Taking off
Terminal (TXL) comprised three exhi-
bitions, the first being “Borderline Hu-
man – Milk River Valley” by Gunnhildur
Hauksdóttir, which reflects on “how
monkeys communicate or how we in-
terpret their communication or their
calls.” The show included an instal-
lation of an arbor-esque jungle gym
alongside interpretations of monkey
calls by Gunnhildur and simian move-
ment by dancer Saga Sigurðardóttir.
The next was “noWhere, noThing,
noBody” by Rebecca Erin Moran. It
blended sounds ranging from kissing
to techno (to which the artist could be
seen dancing nonstop in a three-hour
video projection) to hypnotherapy. “In
the hypnosis,” Annabelle adds, “you’re
also kind of losing yourself or even
fucking yourself, almost, on this jour-
ney through your body as your organs
become a constellation.”
A corruption of “home island” in
Icelandic plus the hashtag of transgen-
der Lebanese musician Haifa Magic,
“Hei Maei #my_يش_لك” by Borghildur
Indriðadóttir was the final exhibition.
Set before a one-minute film, made at
Grótta, about “the unknown knowl-
edge of the ocean” and starring Tómas
Lemarquis, the performance mixed
latex-clad clubbers with niqabi women
in an airport to create “tension between
different worlds, and negation—like
home, not home, transgender, Arabic
world, sexuality.”
Landing
Terminal (KEF) will go slightly off
script, involving ten artists and the
European Space Agency in a single ex-
hibition. “It will be about how we can
prepare for the future of the environ-
ment,” Annabelle says. This is the focus
of the EPA’s Space for Earth initiative.
“So there will be a pairing up of art-
ists with the scientists focussed on the
ocean, the air, and the earth itself.”
Although installations by Borghildur
Indriðadóttir, Emilija Škarnulytė and
Hreinn Fríðfinnsson will be the foun-
dation, she explains that “the others
are a little bit more like jokers. Their
presence will be dependent on their
work, whether it’s an installation or a
concert or performance.”
Instead of a post office or airport,
Terminal (KEF) will be held at the old
military base in Keflavík. “Just like
the post office, this location, this non-
space, is in flux,” she concludes. “Just
like terminals in the airport, you’re al-
ways waiting. You’re between arriving
and leaving. So how are we defined in
these places? How do they define us as
individuals, or as women, or as artists,
or as whatever?”
Words:
Grayson Del Faro
Photo:
Jan Michalko
Words:
Alexander Jean
de Fontenay
Photo:
Timothée
Lambrecq
23
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Airports need more art. And some will be landing in Keflavík soon.
Genre-Free Living
Katerina is a versatile designer and DJ/VJ on a
lifelong search for the new and weird
“I’m constantly in search of some-
thing new, hyper-real and weird,”
says Katerina Blahutova—nicknamed
Katla—a multidisciplinary designer
and DJ/VJ from Prague that currently
resides in Reykjavík. “I consider this a
sort of life attitude of mine.”
In the past year, Katla has been
busy collaborating with Reykjavík
musicians like SiGRÚN and MSEA, as
well as debuting her own event series,
‘Heyrðu’—the Icelandic word for “lis-
ten.” These cool parties focus on mu-
sicians who evade easy categorisation.
“These open-minded projects some-
how attract me naturally,” says Katla.
“This applies also to my DJ sets [per-
formed under the name DVDJ NNS],
where I prefer staying genre-free.”
Info:
Go to
katerinablahutova.
com for a look
at what Katla is
all about. Visit
instagram.com/
katlanns to follow
her daily creativity
and upcoming
events.
Exhibition
Terminal (KEF) will
arrive at Keflavík
in summer 2019.
Check terminal.is
for more details as
they emerge.
Katla first started DJing in 2010.
“Later I added live visuals via VJing
and then moved on to light and set
design,” she explains. “My interests
lie in making multisensory experi-
ences.” The striking visuals help her
audience to better immerse them-
selves into the performance. “They
can make people focus or take them
out of their immediate context,” she
explains. “Visuals can also be fun or
political and spark interaction.”
According to Katla, clubbing is
important. “It can be a spiritual
experience and a physical ritual—
a sort of body celebration,” she ex-
plains. “And then there is the politi-
cal aspect, for example creating safe
spaces and promoting diversity and
sustainability.”
Currently, most of Katla’s gigs
take place in Czech Republic and
Slovakia. “Underground club culture
there has strong roots and is on a
constant rise,” she says. “Compared
to Iceland’s clubbing, it’s more di-
verse, political, globalised—it’s sim-
ply a larger community.”
Aside from making new sets and
videos and planning an upcoming
tour in her home country, Katla is
planning to make the next Heyrðu
party a reality in 2019. “I already
have a long list of artists willing to
come,” she says. “I’m now looking
for a venue with the right vibe—and
funding possibilities.”
Smooth Tour Crescendo
Ólafur Arnalds
Dec. 18th - 20:00 - Harpa -
8,900 to 14,990 ISK
Iceland’s neoclassical superstar—
Óli, to his friends—drops some
relax-o-bombs on your meditative
ass, flanked by two robot pianos
allegedly programmed in
collaboration with mad genius
Halldór Eldjárn, and accompanied
by strings and a percussionist. He’s
known for his soundtrack work for
Broadchurch and ‘Electric Dreams,’
and his part in stadium-house act
Kiasmos, but this time, he’ll be
focusing on music off his lovely new
album, ‘re:member.’ SP
Koolkid Konvention
Andi / IDK IDA / russian,girls & More
Dec. 8th - 20:00 - Húrra - Free!
An iconoclastic mixture of fêted
bands from Reykjavík’s
underground music scene combine
for an unmissable lineup at IÐNÓ.
From the lo-fi murder-pop of the
evil-kawaii duo Madonna + Child, to
the widescreen nu-gaze of russian.
girls, the bassy electronica and
impassioned vocals of IDK IDA, and
the infectious “Íslando-disco” of
Andi, the stars of this show shine
brightly. Sakana (wo)mans the
decks. JR
Satan: Attending
Anti-Christian Festival 2018
Dec. 21st - 18:00 - Gaukurinn - 2,000
ISK
Edgelords of the world unite! The
easiest possible iconoclasm is
upon us, kicking Christianity in
its weak ass. Not that Christianity
doesn’t suck, but the only word that
describes the Church of Iceland is
“limp,” so this still ranks up there
with the ‘Fokk Ofbeldi’ hats as the
most vapid possible statement
to make. Also there’s black metal
music. Beer on offer. Corpsepaint
preferred. Nothing too challenging
though, please. SP