Kur baigiasi jūra

The installation consists of fish leather sculptures and sugar objects. It was created in Reykjavik, Iceland. For the piece, I researched the prehistory of Iceland and what might have lived on the island before the first settlers arrived. It may seem strange to study this in Iceland, whose establishment according to historical sources began in the 9th century and which has no prehistory.

However, not adhering to the facts, I interpreted in my own way and imagined that the oldest traces of humanity were discovered on this island. Based on the ideas of hydrofeminist Astrida Neimanis, who encourages us to look at our bodies as bags of water from the oceans, such a leap does not seem completely impossible. I imagine porous and fluid bodies migrating from one part of the continent to another or freely crossing seas, oceans and reaching even the most remote islands.

I’m interested in how fiction intertwines with reality to create something novel. It can be seen that this combination is deeply rooted in Icelandic culture, folk tales and more. I looked for connections between fact and fiction to help me create my own reality.
I learned one of the oldest Icelandic crafts – tanning fish leather. Artifacts were found during the first settlement. Fish leather was used to make clothes: shoes, belts, bags were found. These days, there is a resurgence of interest in this material, and the process can be seen as a way to recycle the by-products of the fish industry.

When creating the installation, I freely drew on the legend of water creatures (Lagarfljotsormurinn – water, lake snake). However, the sculpture is abstract and open to various interpretations.

Another part of the work is sugar sculptures. They are all cast from lava stone. I was interested in the properties of the material, how sugar constantly changes and transforms under the influence of external factors such as temperature, humidity. I started making sugar inclusions, where you can vaguely see the silhouettes of strange sea creatures. They reflect the play between reality and fiction.