Iceland review - 2017, Síða 57

A R Ttion. His thoughtful use of local materi-
als is already evident: a sculpture made
from the reflective, color-changing glass
used in Harpa Concert Hall already
hangs in the window facing Harpa, the
façade of which he designed in collabo-
ration with Henning Larsen Architects.
Across the corridor, Kling & Bang
have added a playful flair with Dawson’s
Crêpes, a performance piece on the art
of dance and crêpes. Performance art
plays a large role in Nýló’s work, as
well, including an archive on the sub-
ject. Þorgerður refers to its possibilities
and asks: “Does it exist as a sketch, as an
interview, as leftovers, as a feeling, as a
memory?”
LOOKING FORWARD
When the building was converted into
an art center, the name ‘Factory’ was
considered, Ásmundur says. “It was
cool to call art a factory, to say artists
were producing valuable things,” he
notes, adding that the juxtaposition and
coexistence of art and fish processing
remains part of the building’s identity.
Here is a place where “an artist from
the exhibition and a fisherman can meet
for lunch,” enjoying good food, a harbor
view, and a mutual break from work.
The opening attracted 4-5,000 guests
ICELAND REVIEW 55
over the course of four hours, accord-
ing to Elísabet, with Icelanders and
tourists alike streaming through the
doors, and the artists are hopeful that
visitors will just keep coming. “It’s pub-
lic; it’s very visible; it’s free to enter,”
Auður notes. “It’s a very welcoming
building.”
From crêpes to compasses to com-
memoration, the art of Marshall House
is varied and dynamic. The artists
speak of their future plans, including
Sequences, Opening, and new research
in Nýló’s archives, with confidence,
ready to see what possibilities the new
space will offer. u
Top: artist Ragnar Kjartansson.
Center: ‘Color Experiment no. 46’
by Ólafur Elíasson.
Bottom: an archive of performances in
Iceland at the Living Art Museum.