Private Stories – Public Places
Guðný Sara Birgisdóttir shows her textile work, which is made out of stories that have been told to us at unexpected encounters, in the most unlikely places. This is a work on random encounters in public spaces.
The exibition Private Stories – Public Places opens on Friday the 8th of April at 5 pm in the Circle in Grófin.
The work is based on the stories people at the library shared with Guðny in February 2022 as a part of her own public living room Stofan. Guðný got people to share their stories, which she then collected. Some people drew a small picture based on their story and they are also included in the work. She also studied the effects of such unexpected encounters, from how children and dogs often provide safe space, to deeper meaning and effects when stories are said aloud long after they happen.
The work is solemnly made from material used for bookbinding and becomes a textile, a sort of deconstructed book. The work shows the words, sentences and pictures of the stories that the guests shared with Guðný, and together these elements are woven into the gauze and create an intertwined whole that opens up new interpretations and stories.
The exhibition is in the Circle on the first floor in Grófin.
Material: Buckram, gauze, linen, headband, thread
Guðný Sara Birgisdóttir (1993) completed her BA studies in fine art in 2018, where her work consisted of installations with texts, videos and sound. She graduated from the masters program of design from IUA where she was drawn to doing extensive research on interesting topics in Iceland as well as globally, still using the same mediums listed above. She often uses a speculative setting where her research is processed and translated in a creative way, both in physical and emotional spaces. Guðný seeks to design and create a body of experiences that make us think about and question our relationship to our surroundings. She looks into production processes, material use, storytelling, emerging technologies, relationships and how to create an exciting, challenging or effective environment for discussion and awareness raising. Guðný will graduate from arts education in the spring of 2022.
Further information
Dögg Sigmarsdóttir
Project manager | Civic Participation
dogg.sigmarsdottir@reykjavik.is