Sigurður Jónsson

Back in 2010, I chatted (over the internet) with the then graduating artist Sigurður Jónsson. I had just seen him wrestle a huge trunk in The Arches, and, in the best tradition of live art, this apparently bizarre activity resolved into a profound meditation on man versus nature.

Aware that the phrase 'profound meditation' is a terrible cliche, I bothered Jónsson with a few questions about his art. 

The work moves between personal history and mythology. Do you feel that mythology retains a resonance for you, even in a modern age that has abandoned its traditional stories- even if they are replaced by modern myths?
From a personal point of view I think mythology resonates with most of us, or rather, we hope mythology to reflect certain truths or present us with meta-narratives that we can draw from and count on. This was an inquiry of mine throughout the process: how does my history fit into a greater narrative. 

Maybe this reflects the Icelandic part of my approach as I feel mythology is understood in a wholly different way here in the UK. Here people seem to enjoy the novelty of the myth, while it seems to have a genuine perlocutionary effect on the Icelandic psyche. Many Icelanders will tell you “I don't believe in ghosts… but I know my house is haunted,” and I think that reflects, not necessarily naivety, but a respect for these traditions and stories.

The body seems to be central to the work- in that by being naked, you draw attention to it, and the physical act of wrestling with the tree makes up an intense sequence. I'm interested in whether you see your physical vocabulary as being connected to dance, or any other performers...
By stripping down at that point, I was hoping to draw the attention away from me, the person, and to the sculptural elements of the two bodies in the space. So even though I do consider the work as a whole to be very connected to dance, I was hoping to explore the space between sculpture and choreography. How does the object inform the movement? 

A piece I took a lot from was Bruce Nauman’s Walking in an Exaggerated Manner around the Perimeter of a Square (1967-68). The way I understand this particular piece is Nauman’s seemingly simple attempt to perform a square, but there is an added element of performativity in the way he does it and so instead of just walking, he emphasises parts of the body in relation to the space. I guess I was trying to achieve something similar.

Where did you start? Do you have the objects and stories in mind, and let them dictate the format, or vice versa?

I had wanted to work with driftwood for some time but I had no idea in what way. So when my nan told me a story about this Scottish fisherman who washed ashore and came into the life of my Icelandic family some 400 years ago, I saw a connection. I tried to look up the name but like the driftwood, he seems to have lost his history. So I guess that was my starting point and I started working on lending them a possible past and future. In the beginning of the process I started to try and fit the object and story within a format I thought was apt. 

After a while, and with the help of my tutors and colleagues I realised that the object had to dictate the format. I grew tired of trying to represent something and, with some inspiration from the likes of La Ribot and Florian Flueras, I decided to simply present a series of actions with the driftwood and give the audience a porous structure where they could put their own meaning into how the three main elements interrelate.


This one's a massive question- do you see your approach as especially Icelandic?
No. I understand that people generally might read my work from that perspective but coming from the Icelandic scene, I don't see my approach as Icelandic. If I had to describe contemporary Icelandic performance work there is a certain dry humour in it, an irony that I feel I have moved away from. 

Saying that, the Icelandic scene is very young and volatile and so one particular description will never be fitting. Having studied in the UK I feel much closer to the discourse here and in Europe.














































That is great, thank you... how about I send over some (probably pretty obvious) questions so that I can work up an article?




Best wishes




Gareth





2010/3/15 Sigurður Jónsson <siggiarent@gmail.com>







Hey Gareth,




I've finally put some images on my website http://sigurdurjonsson.wordpress.com/projects/bloðeik-2010/




I you want to use any of them, please send me the name (blodeik1-8) and I will send said image in the full resolution (I have them in .jpeg and .tiff)




Photographer is Hallgerður Hallgrímsdóttir (www.hallgerdur.com)




Cheers,