Iceland

Artist Presentations and Public Discussion

When
17 August 2015

On day eight of the expedition we prepared for our public presentation of the Frontiers of Solitude project, which was held in the afternoon in Seyðisfjörður's theatre space. The organisers gave a comprehensive overview of the project's intentions and partners, and outlined the expedition program. The participating artists presented initial responses to their experiences of the encountered places and issues, and opened up a discussion with the audience. The conversation revolved around the Kárahnjúkar case, democracy, activism, local passivity as a cultural trait, the lack of a willingness to plan and make decisions, the touristic gaze, the dimensionality and relativity of local environmental issues in relation to the rest of the world, and the gap between self-perception and outside perception.

Related content
Finnur Arnar Arnarson, Untitled. Photograph, 2015.

Finnur Arnar Arnarson, Untitled. Photograph, 2015.

Finnur Arnar Arnarson: Ignorant and Happy

Finnur Arnar Arnarson works with video, text, and installation, finding his inspiration in familiar reality. Themes in his work include alienation from the environment, the objective and subjective experiences of time and space, and technology as an extension of human will and determination. …

instalace Fotograf Gallery, photo: Tomáš Hrůza,

instalace Fotograf Gallery, photo: Tomáš Hrůza,

Pavel Mrkus

Pavel Mrkus is a visual artist who makes use of digital moving images, sound and space. He graduated from the Academy of Applied Arts in Prague. For several years, he taught at the University in Toyama in Japan. His work makes use of digital technologies in an attempt to intermediate between the spiritual traditions of western Europe and the East. …

Captured, Iceland 2015

Captured, Iceland 2015

Diana Winklerová

Diana Winklerová is a sculptor and musician living and working in Prague. She graduated from the Academy of Applied Arts in Prague from the sculpture studio under the guidance of prof. Kurt Gebauer. …

Skaftfell

Skaftfell Center for Visual Art, located in Seyðisfjörður, plays the essential role of presenting, discoursing and encouraging the development of contemporary art in eastern Iceland. It is a meeting point for artists and locals, and its activities are based on exhibitions and events, alongside an international residency program and outreach program. …

Greg Pope: Iceland, 2015

Greg Pope: Iceland, 2015

Greg Pope: Lagoon

Greg Pope is a British media artist and filmmaker who currently lives in Norway. After dabbling in punk rock bands and absurdist performance, Pope founded the Brighton-based super-8 film collective Situation Cinema in 1986, and afterwards, Loophole Cinema in London, 1989. …

Marble Warble,  2016, 4:21, col, stereo. videostill

Marble Warble, 2016, 4:21, col, stereo. videostill

Ivar Smedstad

Ivar Smedstad is currently director of Atelier Nord, a media arts organization in Oslo. Ivar Smedstad has been working in video art and electronic media since the early 1980s and has participated in numerous international and national video art exhibitions, screenings and festivals. …

Iceland: Leirhnjúkur lava fields near Krafla. Photo: Pavel Mrkus, 2015.

Iceland: Leirhnjúkur lava fields near Krafla. Photo: Pavel Mrkus, 2015.

Field Work and Ecology

This expedition through Iceland will lead participants to various locations in South, East and North of Iceland where the untapped sources of renewable energy – water, steam, and wind – as well as the impacts of hydro- and geothermal power plants on the landscape and on local micro-economies, can be observed. …

view in the Installation Ex Post gallery, photo: Tomáš Hrůza

view in the Installation Ex Post gallery, photo: Tomáš Hrůza

Julia Martin

Julia Martin is a German visual artist and landscape architect who lives in Seyðisfjörður, Iceland. She acts as local project curator and as a guide for the Iceland expedition. …

Karlotta Blöndal, Frontiers of Solitude (union). Flag pole, aquarelle on paper (detail), 2015.

Karlotta Blöndal, Frontiers of Solitude (union). Flag pole, aquarelle on paper (detail), 2015.

Karlotta J. Blöndal

Karlotta J. Blöndal works in a variety of media, including drawings, paintings, publications, installations and performances. Her work often uses found documents, exploring the tension between presentation, re-presentation and value in the art object. …

Project presentation, Seyðisfjörður theatre. Photo: Lisa Paland, 2015.

Project presentation, Seyðisfjörður theatre. Photo: Lisa Paland, 2015.