NES ARTIST RESIDENCY

Skagastönd, Iceland

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About NES...

A remote residency located in a unique, stunning, and challenging environment, NES encourages artists to draw inspiration from place and take advantage of the solitude (and presence), the surrounding environment provides. Beyond the studio walls, NES aims to provide opportunities for international and artistic exchange as well as community engagement. NES has an intimate relationship with the community of Skagaströnd, and places emphasis on collaboration of all kinds.

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About my time at NES...

During my time at NES, I was immensely inspired by the landscape I found both beautiful and sublimely strange. I researched the local geography and the history of the mountain, Spákonufel which looms over the small village of Skagastönd. I imagined the mountain becoming seismically active and constructed a narrativein which the village existed in a post-apocalyptic future after an unimaginable catastrophic quake and subsequent nearby volcanic eruptions. What would be eft behind?

 

I constructed encapsulations using found materials, resin, and drawings of local flora. I created drawings of composite landscapes, blending reality and figments of my imagination. I frequented flea markets and collected discarded items I found to be personal such as a locket, a letter, and a mantle clock. I took apart the objects and inserted illustrations of my constructed narrative inside of them, forever changing their meaning and altering their context. In the wake of unimaginable chaos and uncertainty, what remains personal? What continues to be cherished? What happens to one's concept of home when the landscape of one's life is forever altered?