On Saturday, August 2, we drove to Snaefellsnes, a peninsula on the western coast of Iceland. The ride out captured what is so Iceland: the changing weather from bright sunshine to brooding clouds and rain all in a 2.5 hour drive to get there.
Our destination was the coastal town of Stykkisholmur to visit Roni Horn's 2007 permanent installation: The Library of Water.
I have been an admirer of her work for years. What prodded me to finally visit was my reading Rebecca Solnit's The Faraway Nearby this winter. She had been in a writers residency program there that she describes in her powerful book.
Horn's space embraces a brilliant concept bringing together her commitment to water, weather, reflection and illumination and primarily the environment. Twenty four glaciers from all around Iceland are represented by there melt water - totally an amazing accomplishment.
It was definitely worth the trip and at the end there was a surprise bonus. I discovered a Volcano Museum overseen by Haraldur Sigurdsson, the renowned volcanologist and scholar. In 2001 he graciously contributed an introduction to the catalog for my exhibition The Volcano Series. He was born is this town and still lives there part of every year. The art collection was captivating. We also saw a marvelous National Geographic film on the momentous 2010 eruption featuring him. I understand he will be in Greenland soon after me...I look forward to reconnecting.