Reykjavík Grapevine - 12.04.2019, Blaðsíða 21

we were really fascinated by things
that are semi-translucent,” Bryn-
jar outlines. He picks up a piece of
transparent plastic material and
positions it next to a selection of
glass sculptures rife with rough
bubbly texture. To make these ob-
jects, he explains, the two had to
study glass-making.
“When you pour hot
glass into a mould, it re-
leases air bubbles. The
glass is like thick honey
and it gets trapped,”
Brynjar says. “In the glass
scene, though, this would
be considered a disaster,
a terrible mistake.” He’s
referring to the bubbly
texture of the sculpture.
“We spent two weeks pre-
paring the plaster mould
and we were just watch-
ing everything get de-
stroyed,” he laughs. “But
then we saw that there
was beauty in it. Glass is
a fascinating material.”
Lying next to the glass
sculptures are a series of
photographs displaying
semi-transparent ob-
jects, all with the same
shape. Looking closer,
though, you realise that
one is a jellyfish, one is a
plastic bag—widely dif-
ferent, in both location
and material, they share
a motif.
‘Reservation’ is rife
with these interconnected photos.
Brynjar points to a series just down
the line from the transparent im-
ages. “We see a lot of these natural
textures,” he explains. The photos
all share a nearly identical pattern,
though it’s difficult to figure out
exactly what each is. “This is stone.
This is wood. This is ice. The shapes
reappear over and over.”
Finding patterns
The creation of these matching
photographs, Brynjar and Veronika
explain, is purely accidental. The
two take photos wherever they go
and Brynjar painstakingly sorts
through each one. “It’s kind of a self-
documentation,” he says. “You learn
about yourself when you look at 5 or
10,000 images. It’s been maybe 10
years I have been doing this intense
photographing and you start seeing
patterns.” He pauses. “That must
mean that there is something in
that which touches me.”
For both, taking photos is only
step one of the process. “You cap-
ture some interesting scenes,
which become inspiration for a
study, which then maybe leads into
an object,” Veronika explains. “It’s
not only about the moment of tak-
ing the photograph, but also com-
ing back and arranging it, pairing
photographs with each other. From
there new things emerge.”
“ I t ’ s a n
unconscious process,”
Bynjar emphasises as
Veronika smiles. “It will
be interesting to one day
look back at the unfil-
tered images and see if
you’d choose the same
ones,” she adds. “You
probably wouldn’t.”
Following the
belly
At all times, both Veron-
ika and Brynjar are re-
markably humble. They
hardly ever mention
where they have exhib-
ited certain pieces, even
when it was at celebrated
museums, focusing only
on stories of the drama
and calamity that befell
the two while making
them. Brynjar’s prize was,
of course, welcome, but
certainly didn’t go to the
artist’s head.
In truth, he
doesn’t say much about
it. “It’s a great honour,
just a bit crazy to think
about it,” he says. “I guess you
might feel a responsibility, you’d
think, ‘well I’m not just some guy
somewhere, now I have to be some-
thing.’ But what we try is just to
keep on searching, keep on being
curious, do self-initiated things.”
Veronika nods. “We do what the
belly says,” she adds. “And we will
keep doing what the belly says.”
Where design becomes art
Through the... looking glass?
“In the glass scene, this would
be considered a disaster, a ter-
rible mistake. But we saw that
there was beauty in it.”

Þrastalundur
Þingvellir
National Park
Hveragerði
Geysir
Gullfoss
Kerið
Reykjavík
Your journey
to the Golden
Circle starts at
Þrastalundur
BREAKFAST, BRUNCH, LUNCH, DINNER
SINCE 1928
/thrastalundur
/thrastalundurr
Great place to see
the northern lights!
Lovely Restaurant with a Stunning View! We stopped @
Thrastalundur on our way to Geysir (40 min away). Everything about this
place was just magical - the food, the coffee, the view and the team. Highly
recommend for anyone who wants to rest in a very picturesque scenery
and enjoy truly Icelandic hospitality! – Aga J. – Tripadvisor.
Food was so good, we came back twice! We really enjoyed eating at
Þrastalundur Restaurant. We tried the lamb soup, fresh brook trout, and leg
of lamb. It was a Sunday, and they had a lovely two-piece band playing. The
staff really made us feel at home, and gave us some travel suggestions for
the Golden Circle. We enjoyed it so much, we came back the next night for
pizza, soup, and beer. – Kim H. – Tripadvisor.
More than outstanding pizza Lovely restaurant situated in very
seenic spot on a river bank. In summer one can see people fly fishing.
The service was very good. Food was good and the atmosphere good.
Will definately go there a.s.a.p. Old but renovated in good taste. Brunch
yummie. Thank you. I loved it – Sigga_Hallgr. – Tripadvisor.