Iceland :D

After a great weekend of feeling relieved and free after completing and celebrating the end of the making of our exhibition (3D typography-The Origin Of Food). I arrived back at the studio ready for my new brief. Out came the legendary "briefs" tin again and the project journey was kicked off. Out of the tin I picked a piece of paper reading; SouthEast Iceland. All became clear when we were told that with our allocated offshore/ inshore region we are to publicise/ brand as we see fit. We are the "leading pioneers of these new kingdoms" and can create any kind of new settlement or attraction in our area.

So off I went to find out more about Iceland as the only thing I perceived the place to have was some hot springs that looked great fun. However the country offers so so much more. It is a country of great contrasts..a land of fire and ice. Active volcanoes, hot springs, and lava flows stand beside thundering waterfalls, glaciers, and ice fields in deserted, rocky landscapes. Pictures of the countries scenery are astonishingly beautiful. I feel that this great beauty is going to provide me with endless inspiration for my project. A lot of the land in Iceland is inhabited, untouched, and I feel this is also a great site for my project as I would like to create a new settlement..a place where life is simple and healthy.

RONI HORN

When doing research in the library yesterday I came across a book about Vatnasafn (Library of Water) in Iceland. The library was thought up by the artist/ photographer Roni Horn and in away is a monument to her life and work that has been devoted to the magical country. I had never heard of the artist before until yesterday but decided I needed to find out more. Reading about her and exploring her work has found me a new idol. She first went to Iceland at the age of 19, her first trip away from the United States. She returned repeatedly afterwards, making her first prolonged visit at the age of 23, staying 4 months. She traveled the country by hitchhiking and motorcycle, she camped, took lodgings where she could, cutting herself adrift and becoming a solitary figure in the landscape. The landscape then slowly became the figure in her art.

She has now written numerous books and had many exhibitions showcasing her photography and words that capture the magic of the country.

I really admire Roni Horns work as I am a great fan of artists who find something they truly love and then devote there art to it. I am lucky that I can find out more about the country for my project through an artists/ photographers point of view through Horn's work.