Reykjavík Grapevine - 01.02.2019, Blaðsíða 36

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Versatile
Uprising
Peek into The Wind and Weather Window Gallery
to see another world
Words: Tara Njála Ingvarsdóttir Photo: Timothee Lambreq
Info
Visit Versatille Uprising at
Hverfisgata 37 until February 26th.
The piece is turned on between
10:00 and 04:00, and the sound is on
until 21:00.
Artists Claire Paugam and Raphaël
Alexandre recently opened an in-
triguing interactive exhibiton enti-
tled ‘Versatile Uprising’ at the Wind
and Weather Window Gallery on
Hverfisgata. Made up of ethereal
sculptures, the work speaks to by-
passers through an ever-changing
light and soundscape; when you
touch the hand on the window, the
lights turn white, and the music
changes its tone. It’s left to you to
decide what qualities your presence
added to the landscape.
After graduating with an MFA
from the Iceland University of
Arts in 2016, Claire met Raphaël
through the Listastofan arts space.
The two have since joined the board
of the eclectic arts collective Weird
Kids, which creates space for in-
ternational and Icelandic artists to
collaborate on multidisciplinary
events.
Borders of reality and
the ethereal
The Wind and Weather Window
Gallery at Hverfisgata 27 is a very
literal window into Reykjavík’s con-
temporary art scene. Accessibility
to the public was always an im-
portant factor in their work. “Our
original intention was to make a
diorama, like you’d see in a natu-
ral history museum,” says Claire.
Dioramas are often merely an in-
formative representation of past
realities. With ‘Versatile Uprising,’
Claire and Raphaël make a diorama
of a different kind of scene.
“This landscape doesn’t refer to
anything specific on earth,” Claire
explains. “It was important for us
to move this diorama to the street.
They are usually
inside a museum,
or a cinema. We
thought a lot about
street art, there’s a
common ground
b et ween st reet
art and what we
have made. If you
are walking down
Hverfisgata you
have to see it. It’s
just in front of
your eyes.”
To Claire, the
window is a bor-
der between reality
and fiction. “When
it’s located on the street like this, it
creates a moment of communica-
tion between the two,” she says. “We
wanted to have it open to everyone
as a space ready to be integrated
into our reality.”
Reactive light
Claire invited Raphaël to join her
in proposing a show for the Wind
and Weather Window Gallery not
long before they started working
with Weird Kids. The two come
from different backgrounds: Claire
has established her practice in the
fine arts, while Raphaël has a back-
ground in computer science engi-
neering that he’s been evolving into
a technology-based arts practise.
Their first collaboration was a
set design for a Weird Kids party at
Mengi in August 2018, which fea-
tured Special-K, Madonna + Child
and SiGRÚN. Their contribution
could have been a rehearsal for ‘Ver-
satile Uprising,’ as they created a
reactive light installation.
The horizon
The two artists are still buzzing
from opening their show, and even
after this short period of collabora-
tion, they already finish each other’s
sentences. They worked intensely
on this piece for six months. “We
are just not allowed
to speak about our
work now,” laughs
Raphaël. We’re tak-
ing a break from
talking about art
for two weeks.”
The two giggle,
however, already
thinking about the
next steps for their
exciting budding
collaboration.
‘Versatile Up-
rising’ is a window
into a mysterious
landscape. It ’s a
memorable expe-
rience, and whether you’re a casual
passerby, or an intentional visi-
tor, it’s worth taking a moment to
press your hand against the glass
and watch how it affect the other-
worldly landscape inside.
Art
“The window is
the main border
between real-
ity and fiction—
when it’s on the
street, it creates
a moment of
communication
between the
two.”
These people want to take you to strange places
i8 Gallery
Tryggvagata 16
101 Reykjavík
info@i8.is
t: +354 551 3666
www.i8.is
RAGNAR
KJARTANSSON
Figures in Landscape
31 January - 16 March 2019
VISIT KÓPAVOGUR
CULTURE HOUSES
AND EXPERIENCE

OH SO QUIET
12/01
– 31/03 2019
&
MENNINGARHUSIN.
K O P A V O G U R . I S
Náttúrufræðistofa Kópavogs Natural History Museum of Kópavogur
Bókasafn Kópavogs Kópavogur Public Library
Hamraborg 4–6 Kópavogur Bus 1, 2, 4, 28, 35 & 36
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MUSIC & MORE
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