From his score to Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette a decade ago to his Emmy award-winning theme tune to Jill Solway's acclaimed comedy series Transparent, Dustin O'Halloran is a boundless source of inspiration to many. Augmented by solo releases such as Lumiere and music projects such as A Winged Victory for the Sullen, O'Halloran is a Berlin-based composer and pianist you really should know about.
Work by Dustin O'Halloran:
Dustin nominated the Icelandic artist Elín Hansdóttir as his current source of inspiration:
Elin was one of the first people I met when I moved to Berlin. I’ve always been impressed with her work and it’s been very interesting seeing it evolve over the years.
Her work can be experienced at different levels; it’s sophisticated yet accessible. With simple gestures she creates interesting spacial interventions that are visually appealing. She plays with optical illusions, creating disorienting situations and making the viewer doubt their own perception. Her installations force you to physically experience them, pulling you in, and making you part of the work.
I particularly enjoyed her exhibition ‘Suspension of Disbelief’ at the KW Institute for Contemporary Art in Berlin for which she created an installation inspired by early cinema special effects, such as painting on glass to superimpose images.
Work by Elín Hansdóttir:
Elín Hansdóttir
on Margrét Bjarnadóttir
Elín Hansdóttir
on Margrét Bjarnadóttir
Photo of Elin by Antje Taiga:
Elín Hansdóttir nominated the choreographer, theatre maker and performer Margrét Bjarnadóttir:
Margrét Bjarnadóttir is a master of words, or more so of the words behind words and meaning behind meaning. She draws forward landscapes within a landscape and movements beyond motion. Her work celebrates the mysteries of life and human idiosyncrasies. It flows - whether performative, photographic or text based, her work is not bound to one particular medium. It explores the fragile potential of uncertainty and strength through discomfort. She peels everyday life like an orange, carefully thrusting the inside outward, then pressing the fruit back together again, as if nothing had happened.
Work by Margrét Bjarnadóttir:
Margrét Bjarnadóttir nominated the Icelandic visual artist Haraldur Jónsson
Thinking back to when I first met Haraldur seventeen years ago – when I was seventeen – I remember him being very curious and a little bit as if he was chronically laughing inside. I´d never met anyone who asked such unexpected, unusual questions. From that day on, I slowly got to know his work. First, his prose writing which turns things inside out, shows what´s in-between, what´s behind and what´s five layers above or below, often all at once, then his Emograms and his Emotional Wallpaper, his sound installations (for example, the sound of a crying baby somewhere between the rocks on the coast, or, a seven year old boy reciting a list of emotional states in alphabetical order), his book of photographs –TSYOL – which is like a photo album of the subconscious, his playful performances, drawings, sculptures and so on.
“His pieces observe and examine the world with hypersensitivity and curiosity. They usually leave me with a brand new perspective and laughing inside. ”
Whatever form Haraldur´s work takes – and it takes many – I always feel like it is very much like my first impression of him. It´s mischievous and full of mystery. His pieces observe and examine the world with hypersensitivity and curiosity. They usually leave me with a brand new perspective and laughing inside. But for some reason I would never want to explain to anyone why I´m laughing. I think because it´s the subconscious laughing.
Recently, Haraldur started an Instagram account composed entirely of videos. They´re a wonderful reminder of how endlessly hilarious and fragile life is. I´m not going to try and describe them, just encourage you to look them up: haraldur8525.
He´s a master of hidden comedy, of miraculous detail … some kind of Prince of Everyday Magic.
Work by Haraldur Jónsson:
Haraldur Jónsson nominated the Icelandic poet and writer Kristín Ómarsdóttir:
Kristín Ómarsdóttir is a writer and a visual artist. She is a permanent inspiration and a vital spark on many levels. Her direct, uncompromising approach to familiar circumstances makes me wonder about it all. The interaction between words and images in her works trigger spicy associations and pushes me further towards a certain edge. She questions the common and composes realities of visceral nuances and raw poetry. Her work is playful and deadly serious at once as it celebrates the tragic beauty of being. Kristín brings light into the obscure, inventing sudden colors along the way.
Work by Kristín Ómarsdóttir:
Kristín ómarsdóttir nominated the Danish writer Maja Lee Langved:
I met Maja Lee Langvad in Oslo the day Edward Snowden got stuck in Moscow, in midsummer 2013. I thought: 'Oh, here comes a relative of Yves Saint Laurent'. She was wearing big glasses and a black coat, and her haircut was the same as the coiffure of her French uncle. When I heard her talking and read her books of poetry my view of the world turned upside down. I learned about the industry of transnational adoption, the reality of charity work. An human heart is not capable of love unless the proprietor has a purpose. A human heart has no excuse for it's competitive cravings. I believe we share an understanding of unaccomplished desires.
Thank you dear Maja. I look forward to reading your next books.
Reykjavík in June, 2016
Sincerely, kristín ómarsdóttir
Maja Lee Langvad and her work:
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