You’re invited: Hrafntinna (Obsidian) Staff & Volunteer Preview – Friday July 22

Hello everyone,

Jónsi, *Hrafntinna (Obsidian),* 2021. Sixteen-channel sound installation, chandelier, speakers, subwoofers, carpet, fossilized amber scent.

What’s happening?

On Friday, July 22 from 3 pm to 5 pm, AGO Staff and Volunteers are invited to preview Jónsi’s Hrafntinna (Obsidian) located on Level 2 in Signy Eaton Gallery.
Please make sure to bring your badge with you for access.
The installation opens to the public the following day on Saturday, July 23.
Hrafntinna (Obsidian) is the world premiere of Jónsi’s work in a museum.

Exhibition Overview

Icelandic artist Jónsi rose to international acclaim as a member of the band Sigur Rós, and he has since expanded his genre-breaking musical approach into the visual arts. Hrafntinna (Obsidian),(2021) is an experiential installation full of longing and appreciation for the Nordic landscape that powerfully demonstrates how non-visual senses can transport audiences to different places or trigger different memories.

Through sound, reverberation, smell and lighting, the artist evokes the sensation of being inside a volcano. Unable to witness the eruption of the Fagradalsfjall volcano in Iceland in spring 2021 due to the pandemic, Jónsi has imagined this unique event as a sixteen-channel composition, played across 195 speakers, accompanied by a sweet and smoky scent. Overhead, a single circular light alludes to the summit of the volcano, out of which sound and smell spill like lava, speaking to the intimate poetry of knowing or understanding a place through sense and memory.

About the Artist

Over the past two decades, Jónsi has collaborated with musicians, visual artists and filmmakers to create a robust body of work across disciplines. Working with such leading creative figures as Doug Aitken, Cameron Crowe, Merce Cunningham, Olafur Eliasson and Carl Michael von Hausswolf, Jónsi’s artistic collaborations have resulted in prestigious awards and critical acclaim.

Born in Iceland in 1975, Jón Þór “Jónsi” Birgisson lives and works in Los Angeles.

Can’t make the preview? Not to worry – this exhibition opens to the public (including all AGO staff & volunteers), on Saturday July 23. This is just your chance to be an early bird!