Nýlistasafnið | Living Art Museum

Performing Archive

Confederation Centre for the Arts, Charge Lounge

21 - 24 September, 2017

ABOUT THE PROJECT

The Living Art Museum invites you to the world premiere of ‘First Base’ a performance by artists Una Margrét Árnadóttir and Örn Alexander Ámundason. Árnadóttir and Ámundason usually work separately but have occasionally been joining forces for the past couple of years. The performance will include some kissing, hugging and smooching.

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION

Akin to The Living Art Museum’s long and sometimes nomadic history, the mobile performing archive explores shifts in contemporary archives. A depository for social memory, oral history, experience and live, time-based practice, performing archive replicates the preserved parallel history of the local art scene in Iceland found in the museum. Evolving boxes appear and embody performance, like companions to the original, and are a catalyst for questions such as: What kind of dialogue, language, tools and equipment are necessary for collecting performance in artist-run museums? Is it possible to occupy and convey the “performance moment” in a certain environment through archival material? Also what evidence should remain? How should the process include the artist? What is revealed about museums and institutions in their attempts to collect performance? And what can be done with this material? In confronting this investigation performing archive directs attention to the momentary nature of the medium.