The exhibition Future Remains at Atelier Nord, gives insight into Þorgerður Ólafsdóttir’s ongoing exhibition and research project that addresses our relationship and connection with nature in a changing world. At Atelier Nord, she presents new video works, textile installation and growing collection of natural samples, unruly artefacts and other markers of the Anthropocene, as an archive of Future Artefacts.
From volcanic island and seafloor to glacier and submerged forest
At the core of Þorgerður’s artistic practice lies an active engagement with the places she travels through. In the exhibition, guests are invited to experience works that are the result of these research journeys. Examples include documentation from visits to the volcanic island Surtsey; recordings of the seafloor from an expedition aboard the research vessel Kronprins Haakon, which crossed the Barents Sea from Svalbard; and samples ranging from ice cores taken from Iceland’s largest glacier to a submerged birch forest.
The Forest Floor is a three channel video and sound installation which Þorgerður is presenting for the first time at Atelier Nord. The work is inspired by a visit to a submerged birch forest in 2018, when the artist took a small souvenir back home. The sound composition and design is made by Þóranna Björnsdóttir, visual artist and a composer.
Fieldwork and research projects
Through collaborations with institutions such as the Icelandic Institute of Natural History, the Environment Agency, and the National Museum of Iceland, Þorgerður has contributed to the widening scope of scientific fieldwork. She has twice received research permits to travel to the volcanic island Surtsey, which formed in an eruption between 1963 and 1967 and has been a part of the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2008. Her time on the island has significantly influenced her artistic practice.
Exhibition documentation by Tor S. Ulstein
From volcanic island and seafloor to glacier and submerged forest
At the core of Þorgerður’s artistic practice lies an active engagement with the places she travels through. In the exhibition, guests are invited to experience works that are the result of these research journeys. Examples include documentation from visits to the volcanic island Surtsey; recordings of the seafloor from an expedition aboard the research vessel Kronprins Haakon, which crossed the Barents Sea from Svalbard; and samples ranging from ice cores taken from Iceland’s largest glacier to a submerged birch forest.
The Forest Floor is a three channel video and sound installation which Þorgerður is presenting for the first time at Atelier Nord. The work is inspired by a visit to a submerged birch forest in 2018, when the artist took a small souvenir back home. The sound composition and design is made by Þóranna Björnsdóttir, visual artist and a composer.
Fieldwork and research projects
Through collaborations with institutions such as the Icelandic Institute of Natural History, the Environment Agency, and the National Museum of Iceland, Þorgerður has contributed to the widening scope of scientific fieldwork. She has twice received research permits to travel to the volcanic island Surtsey, which formed in an eruption between 1963 and 1967 and has been a part of the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2008. Her time on the island has significantly influenced her artistic practice.
Exhibition documentation by Tor S. Ulstein