spiegeltunnel (Mirror Tunnel)

GERÐARSAFN
20.00
13 AUGUST

Programme
Páll Ragnar Pálsson *1977 - Spiegeltunnel (2015)
Viktor Orri Árnason *1986 - Hljóðprufa (2012)
Daníel Bjarnason *1979 - Bow to String (2008)

Composer Páll Ragnar Pálsson builds on Ólafur’s mirror sculpture of the same title which consists of three free standing round mirrors which form a tunnel. Depending on from where the audience looks into the tunnel, their perception of themselves and their surroundings changes. Páll Ragnar Pálsson’s composition centers upon the same theme as Ólafur’s sculpture, which was first created for Ólafur Elíasson's exhibition in Martin Gropius Bau in Berlin. The music converses with the sculpture since musical objects mirror each other and move between the instrumentalists within the space. During the performance the members of Skark Ensemble will be spread around the space, inviting the audience to move around and to explore how their visual and auditory perception changes as they move among the instrumentalists in and around the mirror tunnel. The collaboration between the three parties began when Skark Ensemble performed a piece by Páll Ragnar Pálsson at Ólafur Elíasson’s studio in Berlin during the state visit of the Icelandic president in 2013.

Ólafur Elíason's Spiegeltunnel will be exhibited in NEW RELEASE Exhibition in Gerðarsafn - Kópavogur Art Museum.

Courtesy of the artist; neugerriemschneider, Berlin; Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York; and i8 Gallery, Reykjavik.

Ólafur Elíasson - Artist

Ólafur Elíasson’s art is driven by his interests in perception, movement, embodied experience, and feelings of self. Elíasson strives to make the concerns of art relevant to society at large. Art, for him, is a crucial means for turning thinking into doing in the world. Ólafur Elíasson’s diverse works – in sculpture, painting, photography, film, and installations – have been exhibited widely throughout the world. Not limited to the confines of the museum and gallery, his practice engages the broader public sphere through architectural projects and interventions in civic space. Website: http://www.olafureliasson.net/

Skark Ensemble

Skark is a collective of string instrumentalist and composers from Iceland. Working together since 2008 the ensemble focuses on performing contemporary music. Experimenting with the performative and researching the borders of music, art and science and the ways to combine these things in a musical performance. Emphasising the experience and the attendance of the audience during the performance. Website: http://skark-ensemble.com/

Páll Ragnar Pálsson - Composer

Having played for several years in the band Maus, Páll started studying at the Iceland Academy of the Arts in 2004 finishing in 2014 with a PhD. Páll studied composition with prof. Helena Tulve and researched a 17th
century Icelandic manuscript. Páll has had lessons from f.ex.
Arvo Pärt, Tapio Tuomela, Lasse Thoresen and James
MacMillan. Páll Ragnar's pieces have been commissioned
and awarded numerously. In 2013 Skark String Ensemble
performed Supremacy of Peace in Berlin, Reykjavík
and Harpefoss, Norway.
Website: http://pallragnarpalsson.com/

Viktor Orri Árnason

Viktor Orri Árnason started his classical music studies by the age of 7. His interests in all genres of music have led Viktor to forming pop/rock/classical groups (f.ex. Hjaltalín and Skark ensemble) and studying jazz and later modern classical composition and conducting at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler and also studied violin, viola and conducting at the Iceland academy of the arts

Viktor has collaborated with artists like Ólafur Arnalds, Of Monsters and Men, Nils Frahm, Bang Gang, Gus Gus, Agent Fresco and Ásgeir.

Daníel Bjarnason

Daníel Bjarnason studied piano, composition and conducting in Reykjavík, Iceland before leaving to study orchestral conducting at the Freiburg University of Music, Germany.

As a composer, Daníel has been commissioned and worked with many different orchestras and ensembles including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia, the Ulster Orchestra, Sinfonietta Cracovia, So Percussion, Decoda and the Icleand Symphony Orchestra. Performances of his compositions have been led by conductors such as Gustavo Dudamel, Louis Langrée, James Conlon, John Adams, Ilan Volkov, André de Ridder, Anna-Maria Helsing and Alexander Mickelthwate. Daníel’s versatility has also led to collaborations with a broad array of musicians outside the classical field including Sigur Rós, Hjaltalín, Efterklang and Ben Frost.
Website: http://danielbjarnason.net/