Bergmál // Echoes
       
     
Projects / Bergmál // Echoes
Project published in book form by “Bjartur Veröld” in Iceland November 2018. In Iceland, the folklore around Elves is still affecting some aspects of modern life. Although most Icelanders would not openly admit to believing in the creatures, opinion polls indicate that people usually choose to "neither affirm nor deny” their existence. Icelandic elves, also known as hidden people, are not like the English term connotes. They are said to be usually invisible people, a bit different from humans who live alongside us, mostly in rocks and boulders or bigger stones in lava fields. Many legends exist about humans interfering with elves homes and how they get punished for it – someone is taken ill or machines break down in most mysterious ways. Therefore, when roadwork and housing construction become problematic, it is often seen as a warning or retaliation against on-going construction on the "elfin property". Due to this, some construction managers would rather comply with the perceived wishes of the hidden beings than take any chances on further accidents happening. This might involve giving the elves time to relocate or abandon their homes or even change the construction plans altogether to accommodate them. The Elves Point of View project seeks to document the locations where the belief in elves has changed the face of modern living. It tells the stories behind elfin monuments that remain in the urban landscape, many of which only existed as verbal legends. The project is not only intended to serve as an important documentation and visual evidence of the elfin folklore in Iceland, but also as a reminder of the many manifestations of nature in modern society. Conceptions of the supernatural reflect the culture to which they belong. The folklore around elves represent nature in the culture - and even nature in the city. The elves can be seen as nature spirits and they are a part of nature and by protecting and respecting nature - humans respect the elves. Their homes – rocks, hills, cliffs - must not be tampered with. Narratives about insurrection of elves demonstrate supernatural sanction against development and even urbanization. They protect and enforce the old pastoral values and traditional rural culture. The clashes that are narrated in these stories or legends refer to oppositions that were relevant in their social and ideological settings in pre-industrial and rural society. Roads and construction in lava fields or “unspoiled” nature are the matrix of modernity. Road construction transgresses these boundaries and cross between nature and human settlements (the city), and bring the nature into the human’s domain. Elves are usually described as beautiful beings, similar to humans but very sustainable in their way of living, a bit like Icelanders from two or three centuries back. This nostalgic idea of a nature-oriented elfin society existing today reflects how we see our own modern lifestyle today and even expresses doubts about how unsustainable we have become. This folklore is therefore, never only about elves or the "others", but about humans or "us" and how we choose to live in a community, with and beside nature.
       
     
Projects / Krossgötur // Crossroads
“Can we use geothermal energy in a better way than how it’s been done in the past, with ugly above-ground zigzagging pipes that carry the steam and lie across the landscape like a broken zipper?”  - Styrmir Gunnarsson (2008) -    In Iceland the landscape is a substantial part of the nation’s image. The image of Iceland’s “pure” and terrifyingly beautiful nature has reached far in and ultimately contributed to a great boom in tourism in recent years, with people flocking in from all over the world to experience it. In 2007 the Icelandic prime minister appointed a special image committee to shape the countries international image. The committee decided on the catchwords energy, freedom and peace as the key components of Iceland’s image, with special emphasis on Iceland’s sustainable energy resources. This volcanic island in the north Atlantic has an abundance of geothermal spots and violent glacial rivers prime for harnessing energy. Geothermal and hydroelectric resources generate nearly all of the countries energy and heating needs. Because it’s plentiful, it’s also cheap. At present, only 30% of the energy produced in Iceland is for domestic use. The remaining 70% is generated for industrial use, predominantly aluminium smelters run by international corporations, (the largest and most controversial being the purpose built Kárahnjúkar hydroelectric energy plant in the east-Icelandic highlands). Iceland and the UK are currently in discussion about supplying sustainable energy from Iceland to the UK via subsea cable. Such a large scale project will require tapping into more of Iceland’s unused hydro-and geothermal energy sources, resulting in the potential building of several new energy plants in the Icelandic countryside. This has raised questions about the worldwide benefits of sustainable energy versus the environmental impact of such constructions on the Icelandic landscape.  The  Orka project focuses on new and unexpected representations of Icelandic nature. Centred on the structures around eight geothermal and hydroelectric energy plants, it shows the rarely displayed man-made structures of the country. The implementation of these power stations in Iceland has great visual impact on its nature, creating a dilemma for a nation that identifies itself internationally through its image of untouched landscape. Orka highlights the visual impact of theses energy structures, how they create an interrupted landscape of tormented rifts, beautiful geometry and strange land art that reshape the surface of the nature.   This is a sample of the project, which consists of 30 images in total.
       
     
Projects / Orka
A selection of photographs from a commissioned project for a five day supercar luxury-event rally, traveling from Spain to the 2015 Monaco Grand Prix.   
       
     
Projects / The Rally 2015
In London, even during the dull hours of winter,  you can find beauty everywhere amidst the forest of brick walls and dirty c ement. London is vibrant in its grays and this is my ode. Shortlisted for the International Street Photography Awards 2013 - Student category
       
     
Projects / Winter Grey
"I live by the ocean And during the night I dive into it Down to the bottom Underneath all currents And drop my anchor This is where I'm staying This is my home" The Anchor song - Björk Anchorage is an ongoing project based around towns and villages in Iceland that are dependent on the fishing industry. Many of them struggle with depopulation as fishing quotas are bought and sold between villages, causing work to run dry. The project explores the idea of home, our coexistence with the ocean and dependence on its wealth.
       
     
Projects / Anchorage