ELÍN HANSDÓTTIR










HIMINGLÆVA  2022
Harpa Concert Hall
Reykjavik

                         
HIMINGLÆVA - a stainless-steel sculpture designed to produce sonic overtones as the wind travels through it - is an Aeolian harp based on a Lissajous figure, representing the shape of light beams reflected through vibrating tuning forks. The sculpture produces diverse sounds based on the force of the wind traveling through it, thereby directing the viewer’s attention to natural phenomena like the air around them. In Norse mythology, sailors who sensed the power of the wind and waves around them assumed that the mythical figure Himinglæva (meaning transparent, shining, and small wave) was embodying the water and propelling their vessels across the ocean. Alluding metaphorically to this legend, the harp is designed to attune the viewer to the natural forces around them through aesthetic means.