Kindred
At the edge of the forest, where the veil between realms grows thin, serpentines the water of Elliðaá river. Along one bank, a forest born of distant lands stands guard, protecting its dwellers in the shadows. Across the murmuring waters, the power plant Elliðaárstöð looms over the valley.
Humans sought to harness the river’s power for their benefit and altered its course. Their purpose was noble —to bring light to the growing capital of Reykjavík. The power plant once sounded its thunderous roar through the valley — a relentless rhythm of progress. But as time marched on, the machines fell silent, and their purpose faded. Today the station stands as a resonant relic, a silent testament to previous human intervention into the local landscape.
Yet, amidst the stillness of the forest and the silenced power station, whispers linger—unseen forces dwell within the land. For here, trees were brought from faraway lands for the good and diversity of the area. Then the storied depths of the forest and the waters of the river became a refuge for beings of old stories. To this day, these beings keep watch over the land and its kindred souls.
And so, the exhibition Kindred tells of the place that is the Elliða River, where water flows as a witness to intervention and interdependence between all of nature on one land. Where through meditative and research endeavours artists aid our connection with local spirits, however they wish to manifest themselves. We share this story with those who are kindred and those who dare to listen. Through metal wood, wool and rocks this tale is told.
Artists:
Corinna J. Duschl (Germany) through their work creates situations that make us relate to the troubled ecologies of our time. Within those complicated zones, thinking in dichotomies, such as the nature/culture split, becomes impossible, forcing us to acknowledge dense and entangled environments. Corinna’s work “Moðir” presents an imaginary Icelandic Fairy Tale. In the Spring, the Móðir wanders through the countryside, collects lupin seeds and sows her lambs. Sheep and the flower are both woven into the same ecology. Both species share an invasive but rooted position in the landscape and are interconnected to each other.
Emil Gunnarsson (Iceland) is an interdisciplinary artist whose work addresses themes of self-reflection, corporeal awareness and natural, social environments. Emil’s work “Melodic Embrace” is an interactive public musical sculpture, formed from chimes from a pentatonic scale (a musical scale). The soothing harmonies of the chimes are in spirited dialogue with the surrounding soundscape of birdsong, a flowing river and children’s laughter, perpetuating the idea of an aural sanctuary. “Your Rhythm” is inspired by rhythms and patterns in our natural environment and our own lives, and it explores concepts of curiosity and reflection. The work invites guests to physically engage, enter into its rhythm and listen.
Masaya Ozaki (Japan) is a New York/Iceland-based composer. His work examines the idea of space as a transient entity, the subtleties behind small moments, the sensitivity of the ephemera, and the future of sound in an exceedingly materialistic world. He often finds inspiration in nature, the fragility of human interactions, and the momentums behind them. At the vernissage, the exhibition opens with site-specific sound performance “Soundprints”, incorporating natural elements of the space such as stones, twigs, and water, enhancing its inherent essence. “Echoes of Rafstöð” an electro-acoustic composition created exclusively from recordings made within the power plant.
Vala Sigþrúðar Jónsdóttir (Iceland) in recent years has produced installations and sculptures that deal with the materiality of textiles and video, and the relationship these two mediums have with human environments and systems. This is about some kind of intelligence, neither artificial nor real. With the work “Tempered muscles” Vala explores the tension of the overspun wool, that has been turned too many times during it’s making, it becomes tense, and will move over time. This movement is too slow for the human to observe in real time, but can be documented, for example by timelapse photography, as is the case in this video.
The works “Screen number one” and “ Screen number five” present LCD screens, both those in use and those tossed away. Inside those screens is a polarizing filter that when exposed, has the potential to obscure its environment, and change the rays of the sun into a prism.
Collaboration between Aryuna Bulutova, Igor Kazychakov and Dagmar Gertot (Buriad-Mongolia): A collaborative effort between Buryat-Mongolian and Russian artists specifically formed for this exhibition. Together, this trio aims to utilise the ever-evolving technologies to preserve the human-nature relationship and present the intrinsic to traditional indigenous culture personhood of nature. For this exhibition, they created immersive AR portals to the liminal space between our material world and the other ethereal realm. One can activate the portal by scanning QR codes spread around the park.
Curator:
Daria Testois a Buryat-Mongolian indigenous curator and rights of nature activist. This exhibition is her graduation work, which is based on the thesis “Conversation with Kindred: A Holistic Curatorial Approach through Indigenouse Knowledge”. This research explores the curatorial work with the locality, considering the animistic characteristic of the environment and the personhood of nature, according to traditional ecological knowledge.
All the graphic design was done by Marya Ozonova.
Special gratitude to Angela Snæfellsjökull Rawlings, Hanna Styrmirsdóttir and Aesa Sigurjónsdóttir, for supervising my project and Ragnhildur Jonsssdóttir, for helping my communication with local Vættur. Thank you to Goði Blöndal Hermannsson, Galadriel Ganzalez Romero. Thank you to my ancestors for preserving our indigenous knowledge.
