Garðar Eyjólfsson with Hana Špendlíková
Un/Inhabitable
8 September - 7 October 2023
In another world or on an alternative timeline, a government has erected watchtowers in the Icelandic highlands. Legions of drones are sent out from these towers, sweeping the land to scan, sense and analyse the environment. Upon their return, the drones feed their data into a system with artificial intelligence which turns the ones and zeros into concepts. Like an oracle, it makes predictions for humans to best utilise their landscape for future industries. A drawing machine tirelessly prints out these innovations on scrolls of paper – suitable sites to erect a carbon catcher and storage, a piece of sustainable architecture for ecotourism, or a hydroelectric dam, all proposals ready for approval or denial. Artefacts, that were later discovered from this enterprise, consist of an archive of sketches filed in dossiers and documentation of the finding in the form of an unknown explorer’s logbook.
In Icelandic designer Garðar Eyjólfsson’s latest project Un/Inhabitable, Eyjólfsson has used design fiction, architecture and artificial intelligence, to explore a vaguely familiar yet alternative reality. This work is not meant to predict the future but to make us engage in dialogue and reflect on how we adapt and evolve in relation to the environment and technology. At the same time, it comments on narratives that are shaping the design industry today, such as innovation and sustainability. To realise Un/Inhabitable, Eyjólfsson has collaborated with the Czech architect Hana Špendlíková. Together they set up an elaborate work process with the written word, AI systems and a digital drawing machine. The result is a collection of textual predictions for future industries and images of buildings in landscapes. Exhibited and sold through Gus Gallery in Stockholm is a limited-edition logbook and 30 “dossiers” with art prints.
The Imaginarium
A lecture by Garðar Eyjólfsson at Berghs School of Communication
On September 5th, 4:45 – 5:45 PM.
Bobergsgatan 48, Stockholm, Sweden
The lecture will be held in English and is a collaboration between Berghs School of Communication and Gus Gallery with the support from the Embassy of Iceland.
Free registration to the lecture via the link:
https://www.berghs.se/en/event/the-imaginarium-a-lecture-by-gardar-eyjolfsson/