Listasafn Íslands

A treasure hunt game at The House of Collections. The game is perfect for team building and education about Sustainability. Explore the museum in a multiplayer game!

Resistance is an interdisciplinary exhibition that bridges the gap between visual arts and science. The works in the exhibition are all in the collection of the National Gallery of Iceland. The word resistance refers to opposition in general, but it may also be read in the context of physics: the measure of a conductive material’s opposition to current flow. In addition resistance signifies opposition to consumption. And resistance references essential action which must be taken by the inhabitants of this planet, against climate change.

The works of art in the exhibition all relate to the discourse on sustainability, and ethical issues relating to efforts conducive to enhanced sustainability. These works offer the opportunity to consider existence, nature and other people: how people choose to live their lives, and the influence they wish to have. In order to establish the conditions for a good life, many different factors must be taken into account – and not least the reciprocal effects between them. To live one’s life is such a way as to maintain a good life, while not reducing other people’s quality of life, is the key to sustainability.

Art can raise urgent questions, and an artistic approach can change how people see the world. In the House of Collections an opportunity is offered to explore, to connect and to create, in a dialogue with the works of art on display. Visitors are urged to give thought to their own experience vis-à-vis the content of the works. Art can thus provide resistance, and promote the desire to take part in transforming society in the direction of a sustainable future.

AIR

On Level 4, the visitor explores the atmosphere and the Icelandic uplands, an active volcanic zone in a state of constant formation. Volcanic eruptions can be catastrophic: ash and pumice may be dispersed widely – especially when an eruption takes place under the ice of a glacier, or on the sea floor. In daily life, the volcanoes that lie hidden beneath the glaciers tend to be forgotten, and the focus is on the landscape, with the diverse hues of the glacier brought out by ever- changing light conditions.

LAND
Artists have always sought inspiration in land and nature. On Level 3 are works that relate to earth, biodiversity, flora and fauna. Soil is of vital importance in the ecosystem – and not least to humanity, for it is the foundation of all food production. In past times the homes people lived in were not necessarily clearly differentiated from the land where they stood. The traditional Icelandic turf house is a good example of sustainable design, in which locally-available materials were used for building.

SEA

The sea inspires many artists. Some portray its beauty, while others explore what the ocean gives, and what it takes away. The world’s oceans are all interconnected, covering 70% of the earth’s surface. Over the centuries, the fisheries have been a vital pillar of the Icelandic economy. Seafarers have battled the waves to bring in their catches, and that has led to loss of fishing vessels and their crews. Fish was dried, salted and later frozen all around Iceland’s shores, shaping the culture of fishing villages.

LAWS OF NATURE

Artists have always engaged with multidisciplinary issues. Here the subject relates to the laws of nature in the fields of physics and chemistry: everything from concepts in physics about vibrating strings, chaos theory and wave theory to facts about the magnetic field of the planet. The work of artists and scientists is characterised by both creative and analytical thinking. In the same way that science provides inspiration to artists, a work of art may bring out unique and often unexpected perspectives that challenge scientific ideas and principles.