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ULTIMA THULE
Place/pace installation / Seyðisfjörður, 2019
It is believed that Pythias may have sailed as far as Iceland, to which he gave the name Ultima Thule – the “furthest island”. His book of travels was subsequently lost and no one was able to confirm its existence. Yet the image of Ultima Thule never faded – it established a connection between islands and the unknown.
Far-off in Northern Hemisphere and on a shore of the Arctic region, Seyðisfjörður is still out of the Arctic Circle and the sun rises above the horizon. Yet, noble mountains enclose the fjord tightly, and entire winter it lurks in shadows. Until the middle of February, when an annual art and light festival “List í ljósi” lights up Seyðisfjörður in celebration of the arrival of the Sun.
Meanwhile, the bare and meager islet in Fjarðará Lake draws attention to the manifestation of the hidden Sun through visible natural phenomena – a semi-diurnal tide and shifting winds. In a small islet, every manifestation of natural motion appears as a powerful event, changing its appearance entirely. And it is within sight if one pays attention continually.
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