Genesis
Closed competition for a new artwork for the New National Hospital of Iceland.
Competition made in collaboration with SÍM and NSLH.
Upphaf / Genesis is an experiential artwork that consists of tinted glass, a pond, led lights and a concrete bench with vinyl material. It is designed for the waiting room and the main entrance of the New National Hospital of Iceland. As an experiential work, it is the viewer who activates the work and the their experience is the core of the work.
The work merges with the architecture of the building and half of the work is indoors and half outdoors. The title of the work refers to its location as a certain beginning represented by the entrance of the hospital but also with a connection to the atom, the beginning of life in a cell or the dawn of a new day with the rising sun.
The work is a landmark for the area's main entrance. The warm light and sparkling reflection of the water in the pond attracts people and offers a comfortable resting place that provides peace of mind both outside and inside, as well as illuminating both the lobby and the square with a pleasant warm light. In the winter, the surface of the pond becomes foggy creating a mystical lighting but in the summer, you can dip your toes in the warm water.
The artist draws inspiration from the minuscular, like a cell and the gigantic like the solar system and the universe. These contrasts have in common that they are not visible to the naked eye. The cycle of life and the constant movement of the universe are subjects that the artist works with and interprets with the work Upphaf.
The merging of the glass and the pond into a circular form refers to both the cell, the atom/molecule and the sun/solar system. In the pond, water is constantly moving; water is the basis of all life and is sacred to us, along with the sun.
Visually, the work is reminiscent of a sunset or sunrise and also refers to the flower sóley and the name of the square Sóleyjartorg. The work mimics the effect of the sun on our mental well-being with its warmer light, and the pond does the same with the calming effect of the water.
