ULTIMA THULE
Place/pace installation / Seyðisfjörður, 2019
 
It is believed that the Greek explorer 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 has been able to confirm its existence. Yet the image of Ultima Thule has never faded – establishing a deep-rooted connection between islands and the unknown.

Seyðisfjörður lies in the far Northern Hemisphere, just below the Arctic Circle. Yet although the sun still rises above the horizon here, the fjord itself is encircled by majestic mountains that cloak it in shadow for the entire winter – until the middle of February, when the annual art and light festival “List í ljósi” lights up Seyðisfjörður to celebrate the sun’s return.

Meanwhile, on a barren islet in Fjarðará Lake, the hidden sun manifests its influence through visible natural phenomena – a semi-diurnal tide and shifting winds. Here, every movement in the natural environment is a powerful event, transforming the appearance of the tiny island. Through careful and close attention, those changes materialise into view.