During Nordic Film Days in Lübeck, Germany. 2nd of November 2017
DVD´s can be ordered from Nordlichter website.
During Nordic Film Days in Lübeck, Germany. 2nd of November 2017
DVD´s can be ordered from Nordlichter website.
Presentation of Keep Frozen artistic research project.
The programme focuses on interactive media and 360 degrees as new and unusual way to perform a documentary. The presentation spoke about theory and context of documentary within contemporary art and the 'unusual ways' the subject matter of my documentary Keep Frozen, the workers, became involved as creative agents on many different levels and how the project took place in front and with participation of its audience on multiple platforms including art house cinema, film festivals, exhibition space, gallery, book shop, academic seminars and entanglement of other artistic and research projects. In the contemporary art world and the documentary film world.
Theme of the competition that was held on the occasion on the 100 years anniversary of the Reykjavik midtown harbor, was the part of women in labor and history of the harbor. 29 artists responded to an open call earlier this year that was organized in collaboration with Association of Icelandic Artists (SÍM). Five artists were chosen from that group to further develop their ideas for a final closed competition.
Tides is a sculpture installation that is based on the phenomenon of 'jardkross' or earth-cross. The 'earth-cross' carves out a wild garden build around the concepts of drift and rhythm. Tides is an intervention into the city-scape at location, an intervention into time and space, that reflects on certain elements in the history of the location, especially when it comes to the part of women. The work is not only a reminder of the part of women but also about the ever-changing landscape of the seafront of Reykjavik.
'Earh-cross' is a reference to the history of the foreshore in Iceland. It is a phenomenon that is little known but appears once in a script from settlement times. It was laid to mark ownership on driftwood shores and first mention of man-made 'structure' on the shore of Iceland. On those shores the driftwood was 'grabbed' by the sand avoiding further drifting of the wood. Therefore the 'earh-cross' is convenient phenomenon to reference when marking shelter and grip. In the art-piece the 'earth-cross' is driven down into the earth to enable the earth to grip the drift. At the same time it creates an intervention in time. The disappeared beach seafront that is now situated under the man-made structures of Reykjavik harbor becomes visible once again. We are able to experience a larger time-scape – ocean, beach, harbor front. Throughout the centuries women have worked on this location where sea meets land, stacking fish, making bait, unloading and taking care of plants that have been able to heal the sick and feed the hungry. The driven down 'earth-cross' gives shelter and a grip. Within its embrace the wild garden can grow, a fertile environment that creates a frame around human interaction and platform for experiencing natural phenomenons.
As research for the sculpture making we have looked at theory about nomadism where emphasize is laid on the drift of people and plants where the human is a part of s symbiosis of all living phenomenons but not the center. To the shore people drift looking for shelter, a living space or simply a future, a grip. The quality of the location can work like a 'grip' on people but also on winds, driftwood and seed of plants and tie those phenomenons to a place we call Reykjavík. Closed off areas protect and offer a flow or a stay. From here valuables drift out to the winds of the world, fish, even seeds of plants. The work build on this function of the beach. In the spirit of 'nomadism' we begin by setting up an 'earth-cross', that marks and prepares, that shapes and controls the flow around the area. Both people and plants are offered a grip in four vegetation areas build on Icelandic natural behavior. There we will plant and spread seeds but also receive surprise visitors that drift from the ocean and from land. The energy of nomadism drifts towards us and mirror the complex context and mutual influence of all phenomenons. The plants vary in color, height, shape and offer many possibilities of implementation. Guests become nomads, people that drift in space and time.
Reykjavik harbor like all modern harbors are man-made industrial landscapes where enormous landscaping has taken place. The intervention into the city-scape that is inherent in the work does not only open a gateway into the timeline of the location but also catalysts the rhythm and tides of the seafront; flood and tides. The sea will be let into the bottom of the piece at time of flood and create an interplay of the planets and the sea at this very point that represents the underlying beach front. 'Guests' are invited to do their own investigation on location. The daily rhythm of the flood and tide is under the influence of much large time-scale that the theory of the anthropocene has highlighted. The guests of the sculpture installation will be able to experience the effects of anthropocentric times but the installation will change together with the increasing height level of the sea flood line. The rhythm of flood and tide will seriously influence the position of guests in the installation. When there is tide guests will be able to walk on the black sand at the bottom of the sculpture along the wild beach plants. When it floods guests will either have to climb over the rocks or get wet if they are going to be able to walk through the installation. Others will be happy with stopping at the end of the ramp or the steps on either side, sit down on a step or on a rock.
We have created a space where guests can dwell in a shelter which is very important in windy Iceland and especially at the seafront. The sculpture takes people down similar to when Icelanders go picknick-ing in 'laut' , a landscape area that is a little dent into a surface of the earth. In the dent we have created people can sit or lay down, look at the sky or run up and down. We change the line of sight and possibilities of body movements. We also influence how the guest experiences the environment, history, the location and the society. The sculpture installation is created especially for the exact location in mind and is in a way site-specific similar to environmental sculptures in general. The method however, of 'intervention-shelter-grip' can be appropriated in other places at the harbor.
We looked to theory of space of Lefebvres, De Certeau, De Landa and other that have written about the friction between the will of city planners and the will of city dwellers. The research of De Certeau has shown that city dwellers will always interpret their environment in their own way and create meaning that is often contradictory to the plans of city authorities. He phrases this himself best: ''... what the map cuts up, the story cuts across.''
OmU screening of documentary film Keep Frozen September 24th 2017 12:00
20th of May 2017 - Hulda Ros Gudnadottir's Artist talk - Keep Frozen art practice as research project thank for supporting to
Dvv international Georgia
@ 03.09.2017 @ Cycle Music and Art Festival, Iceland.
Ann-Sofie Gremaud, PhD and cultural historian, presented the concept of the ‘crypto-colony’ and how she has applied it in her research on Icelandic cultural history and identity. The concept was created by the anthropologist Michael Herzfeld to address the grey areas of colonial and cultural history where the status of a colony or ex-colony is not always clear-cut. To what extent do the W-Nordic countries represent such a grey area?
''The artists Edward Fuglø from the Faroe Islands and Hulda Rós Guðnadóttir from Iceland both deal with national identity of their own countries in multiple ways in their artistic practice. They will present their work and respond to the concept of the crypto-colony.''
May 2017. Participation with the film Keep Frozen in competition CivilDoc category.
24. March - 2. April 2017. Screening of Keep Frozen as part of World´s Workers competition.
24. - 31. March 2017. International Jury member for creative documentary filmmaking competition DOCU/LIFE with Thessa Mooij and Benjamin Bibas.
Screening at Keep Frozen as part of DOCU/ICE non-competative section.
Péchuers du Monde was held 13 - 19th of March 2017. Keep Frozen was screened as part of main competition.
DV is a culture prize in Iceland that has a long history. Nominations in each category are selected by a jury of three professionals. The artist won the prize in 2009 for her film The Cornershop.
The winner for 2016 was Stockfish - film festival in Reykjavik. Keep Frozen was the only film from 2016 that was nominated this time. Other nominations was for example the cast of Heartstone.
'... für das beste Reisefeature 2016 im deutschsprachigen Hörfunk.'
The journalist won the prize for her Feature aired at Deutschlandsfunk, the German national radio, on the 2nd of December 2016. The feature was about the Keep Frozen work at the Reykjavik harbour and the gentrification process taking place. Narrated by Hulda Ros Gudnadottir and art and labour workers from in and around the harbour of Reykjavik.
01.02.2017 at 22:20
Berlin, December 2016.
REYKJAVIKS HAFEN IN WANDEL. GENTRIFIZIERUNG AUF ISLÄNDISCH.
An hour long radio programme by journalist Wiebke Keuneke, directed by Matthias Kapohl as a FEATURE ON FRIDAYS.
TO LISTEN Deutschlandfunk
In the beginning of November 2016 the Keep Frozen documentary took part in the 58th Nordic Film Days in Lübeck as part of the documentary competition. The director Hulda Rós Guðnadóttir was present for Q&A.
German premiere of the Keep Frozen documentary took place as part of the Official Selection at the the 59th DOK Leipzig documentary and animation film festival in the beginning of November 2016. Additionally the film was nominated for EU-OSHA award. The director Hulda Rós Guðnadóttir was present for Q&A.
Documentary film Keep Frozen has been nominated for best documentary award 2016 by the Cinema Scandinavia print magazine. Hulda Ros Gudnadottir was interviewed by the magazine in April 2016, following the World premier at Visions du Réel. The interview was printed as a 4 page spread.
The award is driven by audience vote so if you have seen Keep Frozen and liked it and would like to support us please vote at : http://cinemascandinavia.com/cinema-scandinavia-awards-2016/
Eastern-European premiere of the Keep Frozen documentary was at the A-level Warsaw Film Festival. It was the 32nd festival held mid October 2016. The director Hulda Rós Guðnadóttir was present for Q&A.