EGILL SÆBJÖRNSSON
EGILL SÆBJÖRNSSON
EGILL SÆBJÖRNSSON
eingeladen von Euridice Arratia
29. April 2006, 11 – 15 Uhr
Der isländische Musiker und Performance-Künstler Egill Sæbjörnsson (*1973) hat auf Einladung der New Yorker Kuratorin Euridice Arratia für die Berliner Bibliothekswohnung der Kuratorin und Autorin Anna-Catharina Gebbers eine neue Performance entwickelt.
In Sæbjörnssons Arbeiten finden sich häufig Parallelen zu Samuel Becketts Theaterstücken. Kulturelle Vorlagen und Konzepte dienen ihm als eine Art „Roh-Material“. Kernstück dieser Vier-Stunden-Präsentation im häuslichen Ambiente ist der „Song for the Houses“, den Sæbjörnsson für diesen Anlass komponiert hat und den er auf dem sich in der Wohnung befindlichen Klavier vorträgt. Dazu hat der Künstler eine Animation entwickelt, die auf die Wand über dem Klavier projiziert wird und mit der Sæbjörnsson während seines Vortrages interagiert. Die animierten Instrumente und Haushaltsgegenstände führen eine Art Ballet Mechanique auf, das ebenso von der Goldenen Vergangenheit der Roaring Twenties erzählt, die die Friedrichstraße einst erlebte wie die ehrgeizige Gegenwart der Berliner Republik widerspiegelt. Derweil geben zwei in Primärfarben gekleidete Tischtennis-Spieler im Innenhof der Plattenbau-Wohnanlage fast Metronom-artig einen Rhythmus der Modernen Zeiten vor. Flankiert wird die Darbietung von in der Wohnung verteilten Installationen.
Im „Song for the Houses“ stehen die Häusern der Vorkriegszeit und die derzeit die Umgebung prägenden Plattenbauten metaphorisch für die einst und heute hier lebenden Menschen. Sæbjörnsson hat ihnen mit diesem Lied eine Hymne gewidmet, die er wie ein modernes Friedrichstadtpalast-Musical en Miniature mit Exposition (mit Wasser „geflutetes“ Klavier, ein scheinbar abstrahiertes Aquarium), Höhepunkt (Song, bei dem das Klavier regulär als Instrument genutzt wird) und Schluss-Akt (Staubsauger-Reinigung des Klaviers) in der Wohnung inszeniert. Die drei Verwendungs-Varianten des Klaviers können als stellvertretend für das Klavier als das musikalische Symbol der westlichen Welt interpretiert werden – ein Gedanke, aufgrund dessen insbesondere in den 1960er Jahren zahlreiche Komponisten das Klavier auf neue Weise einzusetzen versuchten. Darüber hinaus verbinden sich in Sæbjörnssons Performance auftauchend aus den und wieder verschwindend in die Tiefen des Pianos die animierten Gegenstände und Ereignisse der Vergangenheit und Gegenwart zu einer durchgängigen Melodie der Geschichte. Musikalisch beraten wurde Sæbjörnsson dabei von dem Bostoner Komponisten Jeremy Woodruff und dem in Washington geborenen Schlagzeuger Evans Nierenz.
Angelegt in drei Akten beträgt die Dauer der Einzel-Performance etwa 12-15 Minuten. Die Aufführung wird im Verlauf des Tages regelmäßig wiederholt; sie unterliegt damit zum einen den Schwankungen des Vortrags, zum anderen aber auch den mit unterschiedlichen Publikumsgrößen wechselnden Ton-Bedingungen, die in dem aus Stahlbeton hergestellten Klangraum der Wohnung herrschen.
Die Performance wird von der Berliner Filmemacherin Eva Könnemann dokumentiert.
Anna-Catharina Gebbers
EGILL SÆBJÖRNSSON
1973 born in Reykjavik, Iceland
1995 - 1996 Université Paris 8. St.Denis. France
1993 - 1997 The Icelandic College of Arts and Craft. Reykjavik
Solo Exhibitions
2006 Anna-Catharina Gebbers | Bibliothekswohnung, Berlin, Germany
2004 Monkey Music, Museum of Modern Art. Skopje, Macedonia
2004 The Sofa, Reykjavik Art Museum. Reykjavik, Iceland
2003 In the garden, Slunkariki. Isafjordur, Iceland
2003 You Take All My Time, Visual Research Centre, Cooper Art Gallery, Dundee Contemporary
Arts. Dundee, Scotland
2003 The Happy Science, The bar at Dundee Contemporary Arts. Dundee, Scotland
2002 Unnar & Egill Ny Verk. Kopavogur Art-museum. Ny Verk. With Unnar Orn Jonasson, Iceland
2002 Unnar & Egill New Work. Westwerk Hamburg, Germany
2002 Island Hoch Festival, Frisör BEIGE, Auguststr. 83, Berlin
2000 Homebuddah. Galleri hlemmur, The wall, Reykjavik, Iceland
2000 New Work. Oneooone galleri, Reykjavik
2000 DFKU. Odense, Denmark
1999 Catgarden, Gallery Urban Issue, Berlin
1999 Gallerie Schallschutz. With Ingirafn Steinarsson & Maggi Logi, Hanover, Germany
1998 Dangerous Liaisons, Gallery Fish. With Hreinn Fridfinnsson, Reykjavik, Iceland
1998 Gulp-song. Gallery Gulp, Reykjavik, Iceland
1998 Stone. Cafe Mokka, Reykjavik, Iceland
1998 Clay-horses. Gallery 20 m, Reykjavik, Iceland
1997 Black Thousand Kronur Bill. Gallery Geysir, Reykjavik, Iceland
1996 Up & Down. Gallery Kælir, Reykjavik, Iceland
1996 Burn Baby Burn. Gallery Gulp, Reykjavik, Iclenad
Group Exhibitions
2006 The Endless Summer. Curated by Gyonata Bonvicini. West London Projects, London, Great Britain
2005 Living Art Museum. Reykjavik, Iceland
2005 The Museum of Modern Art in Sydney, Australia
2004 New Tendencies. The National Gallery of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland
2004 Not in Heaven and Not on Earth. Museum of Modern Art, Skopje, Macedonia
2004 Our House is A House That Moves. Curated by Natasa Petresin. Scuc Gallery, Ljubljana, Slovenia
2004 Sons and dottiers. TENT - Center for visual Arts Rotterdam Witte de Withstraat, Rotterdam, Netherlands
2004 Cold Climate. Finnish, British and Icelandic Artists. APT Gallery, 6 Creek Side, Deptford, London
2004 Frishespores and Molekules. Sparwasser, Offensive for contemporary art and communication, Berlin,
Germany
2004 Berlin-North. Contemporary Artists from the Nordic Countries in Berlin. Hamburger Bahnhof – National gallery.
Berlin, Germany
2004 Instructions. Kunstalle Wien, Austria
2003 Behind the Eyes. Bergen Kunstalle, Norway
2003 Hreinn Fridfinnsson - overview. Collaboration piece „Fish“. Safn-Museum for contemporary art. Reykjavik, Iceland
2003 Rotko – St.Petersburg. Russia
2003 Electric Currents. Video art program. St-Petersburg. Russia
2003 DISSONANZE 2003, Roma, Italy
2003 Smekkleysa – BadTaste, the musiclabel. Municipal Art Museum of Reykjavik
2003 Multiplex. Language gallery. Dublin, Ireland
2003 Daria Martin – soloshow. Close-up Gallery’s film soundtrack. Gallery Analix Forever. Geneva. Switzerland
2003 ‘Inside Outliners’ – a probable anthology - Kunsthalle Lophem Belgium (curator Roland Patteeuw)
2003 A – clip. A micro invention in cinema space. Berlin, London, Los Angeles
2003 Sex and politics. Videoprogram organised by Gallery G.U.N for Gallery F15. Oslo
2003 Southbound – Berlin based artists from the Nrodic countries – in collaboration with hamburger Bahnhof and
Nifca, Berlin, Germany
2002 14 islenskir listamenn verda ser til skammar. Ljosarvirkjun, Iceland
2002 Here and now. Buro Friedrich, Berlin, Germany
2002 5 Kuenstler aus Skandinavien, Galerie Georg Nothelfer, Berlin, Germany
2002 My body is over the ocean. Alma Löv Art Museum, Sweden
2001 Right about now. Screening program in connecting the exhibition Beyond Paradise. Museum of Moder
Art Stockholm, Nordic artist travel east. Stockholm, Sweden
2002 Art for Young Men. Helsinki City Art Museum, Helsinki, Finland
2001 Sound in Art. Gallery Priestor, Bratislava, Slovakia
2001 Blick., a travelling video program, National Gallery of Sweden in Stockholm - Nifca studios Suomenlinna
Helsinki, Stockholm, Sweden
2001 Ars01 – Third space. Kiasma - The National Gallery of Finland, Helsinki, Finland
2001 Polyphony – musicart festival - The Living Art museum in Reykjavik
2001 Pestcontrol –by Hartmut Andryczuk. Gaertnerei Kreuzberg. Berlin
2001 Call me Sarajevo. Videoexhibition. Sarajevo
2001 Fullveldi – young artists in Iceland. Kopavogur Art Museum. Iceland
2000 Shoppin & Fuckin. Groupwork of 7 Icelandic artists and the theatergroup Egg-leikhusid at The Living Art Museum. Reykjavik, Iceland
2000 Eine deutsche Einkaufspassage. Project by Hlynur Hallsson, Carsten Greife and Daniel Schurer. Kunstraum-Podbi Park-Lister. Hanover. Germany
2000 www.orb.is Icelandic web art. The Icelandic Art Museum. Cur: Bragi Halldorsson. Reykjavik
2000 Nordic. Contemporary art from the Nordic countries. Kunsthalle Wien. Austria
2000 Der Hybride Garten. Cur: Hartmut Andryczuk. Kreuzberg Gaertnerei. Berlin
2000 Flakk or that extraordinary sensation of being abroad even when at home. Part of European Cultural City 2000. The Nordic House. Reykjavik
2000 It could be obsession. Rotor – association for contemporary art, Graz Austria
2000 Orgasm2000. The Art Museumof Akureyri. Iceland
1999 The Museum House Egilsstadir. Exhibition. 20 Icelandic artists. Iceland
1999 Trace: an environmental sound installation. The Banff Center for the Arts Media and Visual Arts.
Alberta. Canada
1998 Cosmopolitan Bonsai 2. Gallery Hotel. Zurich. Switzerland
1998 Station to Station. Hungarian and Icelandic artists. The Living Art Museum. Cur: Halldor Bjorn Runolfsson and Barnabas Bensic. Reykjavik
1998 -30/60+. Icelandic artists younger than 30 and older than 60. The Municipal Art Museum of Reykjavik
1998 Nordic Poles. Lucky Thirteen project. Ms.Stubniz. Stockholm
1998 In the Flesh. Exhibition on the body. The Living Art Museum. Reykjavik
1998 The 20th Anniversary of the L.A.M. The Living Art Museum. Reykjavik
1997 Art '97. Icelandic artists – saloon show. Hafnarhusid. Reykjavik
1997 Flax. Artists from the group Luckty Thirteen. Gallery Thomas Angell Trondheim
1997 Self-portraits of Icelandic Male Artists. Cafe Mokka. Reykjavik
1996 Final exhibition of Gallery Greip. Gallery Greip. Reykjavik
1996 Icelandic Cartoons. Together with Kristjan Oddur Sæbjörnsson. Gallery Greip. Reykjavik
1995 The department of mixed media ICAC. The Living Art Museum. Reykjavik
1993 The Independent Art Festival in Reykjavik. Laugavegur 22. Reykjavik
1992 Young Art Hitt Husid.. Reykjavik
Performances, Concerts
2005 Concert Kaffe Burger. Berlin, Germany
2004Peaches – warming up act at Klink & Bank, Reykjavik
2004Fuck you Mitte. Berlin based singer/songwriters. King Kong club. AmStart. Berlin
2004Pianoperformance at the opening of Not in Heaven and Not on Earth. Museum of Modern Art. Skopje
2004Concert on the opening of Our House Is a House That Moves in Gallery Skuc, Ljubliana.
Slovenia
2004Musicperformance - Maertz music festival. Hamburger Bahnhof. Berlin
2003Four Variations of Sorrow. Performance with Ragnar Kjartansson. Municipal Art Museum of
Reykjavik
2003Four Variations of Sorrow. Performance with Ragnar Kjartansson. Gallery Kling & Bang.
Reykjavik
2003Egill S – concert. Innipukinn – musicfestival. Reykjavik
2003Egill S – concert. Municipal Art Museum of Reykjavik
2003Egill S & The Mammoths. Radioshow at Raum3. Berlin
2003Egill S – concert. Goldmund – club. Berlin
2003Rotterdam VHS-festival, Het Wilde Weten. Rotterdam. Holland
2003Egill S & The Mammoths. Concert at Signal gallery. Malmo, Sweden
2003Egill S & The Mammoths. Concert at the Golden Gate club, Berlin
2003Egill S & The Mammoths. Music performance at Buro Friedrich, Berlin
2003Egill S - Concert at Kunst und Technic. Berlin
2003Two warm up concerts for the Danish band Sort Sol in Vega in Kopenhagen, Denmark
2003You Take all My Time – performance in The Cooper Galleries at The Art college of Duncan og Jordanstone, Dundee, Scotland
2003Artist’s talk at the Art college of Duncan of Jordanstone, Dundee
2003You Are My Loving Insane – VHS-Festival. Off-Corso. Rotterdam Film Festival
2003You Are My Loving Insane – VHS-Festival. CBK Rotterdam (Art Centre Rotterdam)
2002Austurbaer – concert with SKE- Reykjavik
2002Skinn og lak – performance at the opening of the Nordic Film Festival, Dundee Contemporary
Arts – Dundee – UK
2002You Take all My Time, performance in Lisa Lounge on the Stardust deluxe evening with
artists working in sound and music. Berlin
2002Musicperformance in Westwerk in connection with Unnar & Egill – Ny verk – Hamburg
2002Musicperformance in NBI – Neue Berliner Initiatif - Berlin
2002Musicperformance at Converter 2 – Music and art-festival – In collaboration with Franz Graf and Stromstrasse music label. The Living Art Museum, Reykjavik
2002Musicperformance in Café Burger – Berlin
2002Musicperformance in Knaack club – with MUM - Berlin
2002Musicperformance at BuroFriedrich opening of Here and Now - Berlin
2002Arcipelago Film Festival. You Are My Loving Insane. Rome - Italy
2002Lisa Lounge – concert with Popchor Berlin - Berlin
2002Musicperformance Berliner Festspiele. Grose Stimmgabe – part of “Island Hoch Festival” in
Berlin
2002Roter Salon – concert with Popchor Berlin - Berlin
2002 Musicperformance in Buryzone, Bratislava
2002 Musicperformance in Armani Studio. Vienna
2001Musicperformance Converter 1 - music and art festival – in collaboration with Franz Graf and Stromstrasse music label. Art academy in Vienna
2001Musicperformance in Dirk Bell club - Berlin
2001Musicperformance in Ljubliana K4 club
2001Musicperformance at Nifcastudios Suomenlinna
2001Concert in NBI club Berlin
2001Video for The Cultural night in Reykjavik.
2001Skinn og lak. Polyphony festival ar The Lving Artmuseum in Reykjavik
2001Eaglebeagle – concert at The Living Art museum Reykjavik
2001Tonk – paperconcert – With Sigurdur Gudjonsson, Asdis Sif Gunnarsdottir and Bjarni
Grimsson
2000Batofar. Artists from Nordic countires. Paris. France
2000Les boreals de Normandie. Dans I, II, III & IV. Installation and performance. France
2000The Ghosthouse. Group-performances at the Yellow House. Reykjavik
2000Broken music-performance. 50th anniversary of Halldor Bjorn Runolfsson, art critic and
historian.
2000Video-festival. Copenhagen. Denmark
2000Tricktisch 7. Café R.Z. Videonight. Berlin
2000Death Disco Club. Radiosendung am park. Live radio performance from a car. Org. by Klaus Weber. Berlin, Germany
2000 Offene Ateliers. Barkenhoff, Worpswede. Germany
2000Dans III. Festival for film. Liepaja. Kristine Briede. Lettland
2000Death on two legs. The Nordic House. Reykjavik
2000Dans III. Kunsthalle Wien. Autria
2000Dans III. Rotor. Graz. Austria
1999Rolling Snowball. Concert in Maria am Ostbahnhof with Andreas Berthling. Berlin
1999 Dans III. Performance. Goethe Institute Reykjavik Prasentiert Islandische Kultur in
Berlin. Org. by Wolfgang Mueller. Podevil. Berlin
1999The International Rock and Roll Summer of Egill Sæbjörnsson. Video/Performance. Jazz-bar-
Dinstagsbar. Berlin
1999The International Rock and Roll Summer of Egill Sæbjörnsson. CD release-party . Café
Thomsen. Reykjavik
1999 Dans III. Performance. FlitjenBar. Maria am Ostbahnhof. Berlin
1999Dans III. Performance. Kunstverein Hanover. Hanover
1999Dans III. Performance. Soirée Revue NeufNeuf. Le Frigo. Paris
1998Dans III. In the Flesh. Performance. The Reykjavik Art Festival. The Living Art Museum.
Reykjavik
1997Dance I. Performance/slides-show. Evening against drugs. The National Theater Cellar. Reykjavik
1997Card-trick. CU-SeeMe performance via Internet. Connection between the show of Tar-get in The
Living Art Museum and Screens in Trondheim. Norway
1997Fire/Desire. Performance at Café Solon Islandus. Reykjavik
1997Princess Blut. Performance. / Dance I Performance. / Video: In a Windowsill. Four days
festival. Gallery Undir Pari. Reykjavik
1996Burning down the gallery" Performance. Gallery Gulp. Hveragerdi. Iceland
1996Singing from my diary. Performance. Candid Art Gallery. London
1995Confrontations. Performance. The Nordic House. Reykjavik
1995Ob-la-di, ob-la-da. Performance – singing the Beatle’s song. The Living Art Museum.
Reykjavik
Collaborations
2003Brjalrl. Collaboration with Asdis Sif Gunnarsdottir, Sigurdur Gudjonsson, Elin Hansdottir and Sara Riel, for the exhibition Berlin North at Hamburger Bahnhof, National Galleries. Berlin
2003Four Variations of Sorrow. Performance with Ragnar Kjartansson
2003Sountrack for the film “Close-up Gallery” by artist Daria Martin (London)
2003Ping Pong D’Amour. Music for the Artist’s made TV series. Together with Klaus Weber
2000 Translation and making of music for the project Collaboration by David TV, Paris France
2000 Music shop. Project by Alexander Rishaug. Trondheim Art Museum. Norway
1999 Poster for the Hall of Fame at Dinstagsbar, Schroederstrasse. Org: Klaus Weber. Mitte Berlin
1998 Eaglethorp meets... . Internet-project. Point Project. Trondheim. Norway
1997 Lucky Thirteen. Collaboration of 12 Nordic art-students who made a travelling art-academy.
Two months travel to 12 cities in Scandinavia and Iceland.
1997 AE. The Private Art-academy. Teachers: Halldór Björn Runólfsson, Art-historian and criticer.
Oliver Kochta, artist from Hamburg. Serge Comte, artist from France. Douglas Davis, artist
from New York. Baldur Helgason, artist from Reykjavik
1997 Spela. Electro-music duo with Isak Eldh from Sweden
Works and Texts published in magazines
2002 Marlon 02. Food and Recipies. Together with David TV - Berlin
2001 Article on the icelandic artscene.
2000 eagle beagle – eaglestuff (photographs) Starship magazine. Berlin.
2000 L´homme qui vendait sa tete. Cinema sculpture. Paris. France
2000 Drawings “Black heads”.. Fukt-magasine for drawings. Trondheim. Norway
2000 Create you own fashionstory. Curated by Catherine Chevalier. Revue NeufNeuf. Paris
2000 Videostills from the video ´”Krush n’kil n’krád n’keil” by The Flower (Ingibjörg Magnadottir and Asdis Sif Gunnarsdottir) from The International Rock n'roll Summer of Egill Sæbjörnsson. Starship.Berlin
1999 Dance III, Stickers + Dans III audio drumtrack. Revue Neuf Neuf. Magazine. Paris
1998 Article about Reykjavik's art scene. Starship. Berlin
1998 Dance III, Pictures. NEID-Magazine, Berlin
1998 The Giant on the Bed. Photoseries. 101. Magazine on advanced cinema. Paris
1997 Lucky Thirteen. Two articles. Morgunbladid. Reykjavik
1997 Drawings Fjölnir. Magazine on arts. Reykjavik
1997 Advertisements for the City of Reykjavik. Fjölnir. Magazine on arts. Reykjavik
1997 The Athletic Girl. Photoseries. Studentabladid. Magazine of the University of Iceland
1996 The Giant on the Bed. Photoseries. Studentabladid. Reykjavik
1996 Hot Dog '96. With Gabriela Fridriksdottir. Studentabladid. Reykjavik.
Discography
2002 Reproduced & Deper – Egill S – numbered copies - Reykjavik
2002 Safndiskur fra Smekkleysu – BadTaste - Reykjavik
2001 You Are My Loving Insane – single from Tonk of the lawn – SomeBizarre - England
2001 Death Disco Club- compilation. Klaus Weber - Berlin
2001 I´d rather shout back at... compilation CD. SomeBizarre. London UK
2001 Tonk of the lawn. UK and USA release. SomeBizarre records
2000 Tonk of the lawn. Released on Bad Taste Records in Iceland
2000 Rolling Snowball. From the exhibition Orgasm 2000 at The Art museum of Akureyri. Iceland
2000 The International Rock n’roll Summer of Egill Sæbjörnsson. Kunsthalle Wien Version.
1999 The International Rock n’roll Summer of Egill Sæbjörnsson
1997 DJ Egill. Collection of re-mixes from 1986 – 1988.
CD-ROM
2000 Kjós, Miklatún and Bollagata. 3 QTVR works
1999 Catgarden. QTVR. Berlin
1999 Urban Issue. QTVR. For Urban Issue. Berlin
1999 Potsdamer Platz. QTVR. Berlin
Videos
2003 We Are Flowers
2003 A Brand New Anti Racism Campaign. Production for A – clip. Berlin, London, LosAngeles
2003 You Take all My Time – performance. Documentation video made together with Zabin van
Moos
2002 Animation (BEIGE)
2002 Fljugandi fot o.fl.
2001 Strapilsin
2001 Skubbidubbidoo
2001 The Happy Science - double channel DVD video-installation
2001 You are my loving insane – musicvideo – animation
2000 I love you so – musicvideo. By Smoczek videos, Deborah Schamoni, Berlin
2000 Rolling Snowball – collaboration with The Flower – music video
1999 Oh I need Your Love Babe. Animated musicvideo. Music and animation: Egill Sæbjörnsson
1999 Dyrarokk. Animated music video. Music and animation: Egill Sæbjörnsson
1998 Dans III. Animation.
1998 Stone. Animation.
1997 Walking in a windowsill.
1997 Slow motion in a corridor
1997 Slow motion with a ladder and talking
1997 Brushing teeth. Copenhagen.
1997 Loneliness. Umea, Sweden
1997 Afraid of heights. Umea. Sweden
1997 Walks. Throndheim. Norway
Residencies, Grants
2004 Bethanien – Kunstlerhaus, Berlin. International Studio Program
2003 Artist’s working stipendium of Reykjavik’s City Counsil
2003 Myndstef. Artist’s grant
2003 The Visual Arts Stipend Fond. Ministry of Education, Science and Culture. Iceland
2003 Sleipnir
2002 Sleipnir
2002 Nordic Residencies Program. Dundee. Nifca
2000 The Visual Arts Stipend Fond. Ministry of Education, Science and Culture. Iceland.
2000 Sleipnir. Travel-grant.
2000 Barkenhoff stiftung. Kunstlerhauser Worpswede. Germany
2000 Nifca Residencies 2000. Vilnius. Lithuania
1997 NKKK. Travel grant for the project "Lucky Thirteen".
1995 Erasmus – exchange program.
Awards, Prizes
2002 Pennastyrkurinn. For the work Dance III
1997 ART '97. 2nd prize. For the work Dance II
Egill Sæbjörnsson
Poster for Performance at Bibliothekswohnung, 2006
Egill Sæbjörnsson
Installation views, Bibliothekswohnung, 2006
Egill Sæbjörnsson
Performance „Song for the Houses“ at Bibliothekswohnung, 2006
Egill Sæbjörnsson
Installation views, Bibliothekswohnung, 2006
invited by Euridice Arratia
29 April 2006, 11:00 - 15:00
Anna-Catharina Gebbers | Bibliothekswohnung, Ziegelstr. 2, 10117 Berlin