Take a trip to Reykjavikík, Iceland to learn about more about Ragnar Kjartansson as he is in conversation with Curator Adelina Vlas. Explore his work Death is Elsewhere, which is a recent acquisition to the gallery and was installed in the Signy Eaton on the second floor a few weeks before the gallery closed. There is a lot to learn about the artist and his other works (including his time as an Icelandic Pop musician in the band Trabant – which I have linked to a super fun music video). Here are a few interesting insights into the creation of Death is Elsewhere including: 

• It’s a kinetic musical sculpture – circular video presentation with 2 identical couples walking in a circle singing about love and death
• Shot during the midnight sun in Iceland on a lava field
• Lava field is the result of an eruption back in 1783 that totally changed the world! It is the world’s largest lava field since humans have existed
• The volcanic eruption that formed this lava field caused the death of 1/3rd of Icelanders and millions deaths around the world which resulted from the atmospheric changes and caused famine
• The  film was incredibly technical to make but looks very simple
• They started filming when birds fell asleep and ended when the birds started to awake again

Learn more about this work and his artistic process by clicking on the linked video – Artist Ragnar Kjartansson in discussion with Curator Adelina Vlas, here.