Retreating is my first video that is part of Retreating series, a multimedia project I started working on during my SÍM Artist Residency in Reykjavík.

In this video I combine Icelandic landscapes of Svínafellsjökull, an outlet glacier of Vatnajökull, the largest ice cap in Europe, located 320 kilometres (199 miles) away from Reykjavík and Fagradalsfjall volcano (around three miles from the Blue Lagoon). Fagradalsfjall volcano started erupting on March 19, 2021 and erupted for six months.

Consequently, the new lava fields and craters have been created by the eruption and in that new landscape, in a close proximity to the lava formations, resilient mountain avens, a white Arctic-alpine flowering plant, (Icelandic: Holtasóley) grow. In 2004, Holtasóley was voted the National Flower of Iceland by the public. The plant is also known for its herbal qualities and is used to reduce inflammation as well as a substitute for tobacco and tea. I recorded the sound of wind at the site of Fagradalsfjall volcano on June 15, 2022.

The origin of Retreating series:

On June 14, 2022 I stood in front of mighty Svínafellsjökull, an outlet glacier of Vatnajökull, the largest ice cap in Europe. It is located 320 kilometres (199 miles) away from Reykjavík. The scene was breathtaking to say the least. A number of emotions swept over me the very moment I saw the glacier. First, it was a feeling of awe. I stood in silence for quite some time trying to take it all in. After quiet a long while, I caught myself thinking of the relationship between the glacier and human race.

Of course, the impact our actions have on the environment is undeniable. According to a natural laboratory to study climate change (Icelandic: Lifandi kennslustofa í loftslagsbreytingum) p. 2 , “One-tenth of Iceland is covered by glaciers. Due to the warming climate, they are currently retreating rapidly, and some comparatively small glaciers have mostly disappeared during the last decade. The same applies to glaciers elsewhere on Earth.”

There is even more to the story that suddenly started unfolding really fast for me. The more I was reading and learning about glaciers, how they form and transformation they undergo over the course of years, the more I started seeing them as a metaphor for different areas of our life. For example, glaciers could be used as a metaphor for cultures and languages – their formation, evolution, and for some, extinction.

What I am particularly interested in is the society as a whole. I am puzzled by how long it has taken us to evolve and how fast we are retreating. The last few years different areas of our life could be easily compared to “Icelandic geology that is characterized by repeated eruptions and glacially eroded strata.” (A natural laboratory to study climate change/ Icelandic: Lifandi kennslustofa í loftslagsbreytingum, p. 13). As a society we are retreating. We are coming unglued. We fight each other and in consequence we fight ourselves.

As grim as it seems, I also realize that sometimes eruptions are necessary and as much as they may release poisonous gases and cause destruction, new landscapes are shaped.