[DE GROTE TREK]
2021 Reykjavik - 2033 Wellington
Travelling the world, starting from the most northern capital towards the most southern capital of the world, by foot, boat and bike.
not all who wander are lost
JOURNAL
GRÓTTA 2.07.21
GRÓTTA IS A SMALL LIGHTHOUSE AT THE NORTH-WESTERNMOST POINT OF REYKJAVIK.
HERE WE STARTED OUR GROTE TREK.
WE SPEND A DAY AT THE BEACH COLLECTING STONES, SHELLS AND SEAWEED.
VIK 9.07.21
PILE OF DRIFTWOOD AND
TRASH.
WE HAD APPROXIMATELY 40 MIN TIME TO EACH CREATE A SCULPTURE,
WHILST OR SON WAS SLEEPING.
WHEN COMPLETED,
WE LED THE WAVES
TAKE OVER THE SCULPTURES AND
BRING THEM BACK
TO BEING NO MORE
THAN DRIFTWOOD
THAT STRANDED
ON THE SHORES
OF VIK.
AFTER WHICH WE
CAME BACK TO COLLECT THE MATERIAL AND PUT IT BACK ON THE PILE.
THERE WAS A COUPLE WATCHING US AND AN OLD MAN. THEY WERE THE ONLY SPECTATORS OF THESE CREATIONS.
PYKKVABÆJARKLAUSTUR 11.07.21
COLLECTING SLEEPING SONGS 1.
THE WOMAN SINGS A SONG HER MOTHER USED TO SING TO HER. SHE WAS THE SEVENTH GENERATION OF WOMAN LEADING THE FARM WHERE SHE LIVED. WE STAYED IN THE FARM FOR THE NIGHT. PYKKVABÆJARKLAUSTUR IS LOCATED IN KATLA GEOPARK.
KIRKJUBÆJARKLAUSTUR 11.07.21
DJÚPIVOGUR 18.07.21
SEYDISFJÖRDUR 21.07.21
IN SEYDISFJÖRDUR WE TOOK THE FERRY TO DENMARK LEAVING ICELAND BEHIND US.
THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE JOURNEY WE WILL ASK THE PEOPLE WE CONNECT WITH TO PICK A COLOR AND COLOR A BOX ON A PAPER.
THIS PAPER WILL EVENTUALLY BE COMPLETELY FULL AND WILL BE THE PATTERN OF A CARPET WE WILL CREATE WHEN WE ARRIVE IN TURKMENISTAN.
THIS IS HOW THE PAPER LOOKED LIKE WHEN WE LEFT ICELAND.
OK GLACIER BUILDER
RIP OK GLACIER.
THE PASSING OF OK GLACIER WAS ANNOUNCED IN THE AUTUMN OF 2014 WHEN ONLY THIN, FRAGMENTED SHEETS OF ICE REMAINED WHERE THE GLACIER ONCE STOOD. OK IS NOW CLASSIFIED AS DEAD ICE. OK WAS NOT THE FIRST GLACIER TO BE STRUCK FROM THE RECORDS OF GLACIERS, BUT IT WAS THE BEST KNOWN.
THE OK GLACIER WAS 30 YEARS AGO ABOUT 15 SQUARE KILOMETERS IN SIZE AND FIFTHY METERS THICK.
WITH THE OK OO.21 GLACIER BUILDER BEING ABLE TO PRODUCE ICECUBES MEASURING 3X3CM, WE WOULD NEED CA. 22500000000000 ICE CUBES TO RECREATE THE GLACIER.
AT A CAPACITY OF 1200 CUBES A DAY IT WOULD TAKE 51369863 YEARS TO RESTORE IT.
WE ARE CURRENTLY WORKING ON GETTING THE PERMITS TO INSTALL THE GLACIER BUILDER.
OLDSKOVEN 1.08.2021
COLLECTING SLEEPING SONGS 2.
KONGEEGEN ( THE KING OAK) MAY WELL BE THE OLDEST LIVING OAK IN NORTHERN EUROPE, WITH AN ESTAMITAED AGE OF ABOUT 1500-2000 YEARS. THE TREE IS BEING SUPPORTED BY SEVERAL PIECES OF WOOD TO KEEP IT STANDING.
THE WOMAN THAT IS SINGING WE MET EARLY IN THE MORNING AT OUR CAMPING PLACE IN THE WOODS, WHERE SHE ARRIVED WITH HER GROUPE OF FRIENDS FOR AN ACTIVITY THEY PLANNED TO DO IN THE WOODS THAT DAY. THE WOMAN IS 97 YEARS OLD. HER GROUP OF FRIENDS SUPPORT HER TO SING THE SONG TILL THE END WHEN SHE FAILS TO REMEMBER THE LYRICS.
ICELAND
DENMARK
We chose the black beach of DJÚPIVOGUR 18.07.21 for this performance action.
Around Iceland are the ocean pumps which, through an interplay of light and heavy, rising and falling, cold and warm, and fresh and salt water, propel the Gulf Stream
Cold water flows towards Mexico, Africa where it can warm up again and is pulled back towards the north.
The Gulf Stream regulates, among other things, our favourable warm climate in Europe by bringing in warm water in our sea and oceans.
The melting of the freshwater ice mass at the North Pole and Greenland is adding an unseen mass of freshwater to the saltwater. This is disrupting the salinity and threatening to bring the Gulf stream to a halt.
Our performance Saving the Gulf Stream consisted of an (ironic) rescue action.
We sent a fleet of giant paper boats filled with salt into the ocean with the hope that this action would restore the salt level so that the Gulf Stream could continue to flow for a long time to come.
You can't win a battle against windmills, melting icecaps and stagnant Gulf Streams just like that. But arts has always a mission
Rémi our son did his bit by emptying a salt shaker into the ocean
SIGURDUR GUDMUNDSSON PICKS THE COLOR YELLOW.
WE MET HIM AT HIS EXHIBITION "THE UNIVERSE IS A POEM"