Iceland review - 2015, Síða 77

ICELAND REVIEW 75
ART
guide in Icelandic or English, wander through the rooms and
enjoy looking around while reading minimal information about
the items on display, or go into depth and read more about each
work online [safnahusid.is] or in the exhibition catalogue,” says
Markús. People are also encouraged to visit the Culture House
with their children and take part in games relating to the exhibi-
tion at certain play stations.
“We’re working across the borders of six institutions, which
is an innovative and unusual approach,” stresses Margrét. “It’s
Iceland’s visual art heritage in a nutshell.” The participating
museums will also take turns in organizing temporary exhibitions,
including a special treasure from their collections. “Museums are
public forums, we own this together. We want people to enter,
make discoveries and enjoy being in a beautiful environment,
enjoy being alone, among friends or strangers—experience.”
The viewpoint mirror in the Culture House’s reading room
contains diverse research journals. The room has free WiFi and
people can come there and work—as was the room’s original
purpose. The house also has two meeting rooms, and in the base-
ment there’s a new restaurant, Kapers, and a museum store with
souvenirs from the exhibition.
“It’s about co-operation, dialogue, feeling inspired, realizing
the context between a manuscript and a wood carving,” says
Margrét. “Through history, people have always found a channel
for creation. The works of unknown craftspeople and famous
artists are displayed together. It’s art history from the beginning,
which is intertwined with our history. And so the human thread
will continue to be spun.” *
In the foreground is the elf cloth from Bustarfell. It’s displayed in a room dedicated to
dreams and folk stories as part of the viewpoint in. Hanging on the wall is the painting
‘Fateful Moment’ by Jóhanna Kristín Yngvadóttir.