Grace C. Barbörudóttir – Do you hold your breath all the way along the aluminium factory?

Do you hold your breath all the way down the aluminium factory? (2022-2023) is dedicated to the little rituals that take place during a drive. These are true folk traditions, as they are created seemingly out of thin air and passed down from person to person, car to car, which encourages many variations. What fascinates me is that this tradition is particularly car-focused.

A special exhibition opening will be held on Thursday, 26th October from 18:00-20:00 and all are welcome!

The work consists of photographs covering the entire length of the aluminium smelter and spanning two seasons, summer and winter. The repetition of the images and patterns reflects the repetition of the ritual.

This work attempts, in an absurd way, to turn a factory into a monument and make it a symbol of the landscape, like the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Just like the Eiffel Tower, the aluminium smelter has a significant impact on the landscape and the people who live around it. Like the Eiffel Tower, it symbolises the optimism of the industrial age and, like the Eiffel Tower, it symbolises the unfulfilled promises of that era. What remains is a giant for people to develop their own stories and legends around.

Grace Jane Claiborn (née Barbara) was born somewhere in Iowa in 1989 and grew up in Arizona. Grace studied film-making, history and theory at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago from 2007-2012. Grace moved to Iceland in 2015. Her work is influenced by cinematic composition and the vibrancy of Technicolor. Thematically, her subjects often relate to immigration, consumption, and finding hope and humour on a rapidly collapsing planet. She is currently studying at the School of Photography in Reykjavík.

Other opening times:
Friday 27 October 13:00 – 18:00
Saturday 28 October 12:00 – 17:00
Sunday 29 October 14:00 – 17:00

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Do you hold your breath along the length of the aluminium factory? (2022-2023) is dedicated to the small rituals that take place while driving. They are true folk traditions, as they are created seemingly out of thin air and transmitted from person to person, car to car, over many years, inspiring many variations. What fascinates me is that this tradition is specifically car-centric. It is something that is, arguably, only done in a car or bus, and has been transmitted person-to-person from vehicle to vehicle.

A special exhibition opening will be on Thursday the 26th of October from 18:00-20:00 and everyone is welcome!

The work consists of photographs that cover the entire length of the aluminium factory, and span two seasons, summer and winter. The repetition of the images and patterns that delineate the factory reflects the repetition of the ritual.

This piece absurdly attempts to monumentalise a factory, transmorphing it into an icon of the landscape, as the Eiffel Tower does in Paris. Just like the Eiffel Tower, the aluminium smelter has its vast imprint on the landscape and the people living around it. Like the Eiffel Tower, it represents the optimism of the industrial age, and like the Eiffel Tower, it represents the unfulfilled promises of that period. What is left is a colossus for people to develop their own stories and myths around.

Grace Jane Claiborn (Barbörudóttir) was born somewhere in Iowa in 1989 and was raised in Arizona. Grace studied filmmaking, history and theory at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago from 2007-2012. Grace immigrated to Iceland in 2015. Grace's work is influenced by cinematic compositions and the exuberance (and campiness) of technicolour. Thematically, the subject matter of her work often relates to immigration, consumption and finding hope and humour on a rapidly imploding planet. She is currently studying at Ljósmyndaskólinn in Reykjavík.

Other opening hours:
Friday 27th of October 13:00 – 18:00
Saturday 28th October 12:00 – 17:00
Sunday 29th October 14:00 – 17:00