PARALLAX
Reykjavik Art Museum
Iceland
Iceland
The installation is a replica of the exhibition space, formed in a so called Ames Room. An Ames room is constructed so that from one standpoint it appears to be an ordinary cubic-shaped room. However this is a trick of perspective, since the true shape of the room is trapezoidal. As a result of the optical illusion, a person standing in one corner appears to the observer to be a giant while the person standing in the other corner appears to be a dwarf. A person walking from one corner to the other appears to shrink and grow.
The piece was installed in the wake of the collapse of Iceland´s banking system. Thousands of people demonstrated each day infront of the parliament, leading to the government´s resignation. The installation questions the role of public art institutions and underlines their potential for being a place for debate and re-evaluation of the systems that we live in.
collaborator:
Ólafur Mathiesen architect
Ólafur Mathiesen architect
construction masters:
Svidsmyndir
Svidsmyndir
photos by:
Arnaldur Halldórsson
Arnaldur Halldórsson
images
action
text
video clip
action
text
video clip
Elín Hansdóttir’s site-specific installations take many forms, including auditory or optical illusions,
labyrinthian tunnels and motion-activated architectural elements. She creates self-contained
worlds that seem to operate under their own set of rules, completely transforming a benign
space into one that defies expectations and seems only to exist at a particular moment in time.
labyrinthian tunnels and motion-activated architectural elements. She creates self-contained
worlds that seem to operate under their own set of rules, completely transforming a benign
space into one that defies expectations and seems only to exist at a particular moment in time.