Snið (Mould – image of the unwanted)
Reykjavik Pond is a constructed environment in the center of the city. To many children, it is their first encounter with nature when they are taken on Sunday afternoons to feed bread to the ducks. For the past decade the pond´s environment has been invaded by other bird species of disputable reputation and measures have been taken to limit their accessibility. In an ever changing world this “cultural” change in the pond´s fauna can be seen as a parallel to the changes in most human societies. Laws of immigration and political asylums are sometimes set based more on cultural similarities and people of differences ethnic backgrounds have a harder time having their needs assessed on an individual´s basis. Larus Fucus or Lesser Black-backed Gull (Sílamávur) is the bird considered the “pest” at Reykjavik´s Pond. Measures have been taken to decrease the Gull population whose only interest in the Pond is to obtain food in the form of bread which parents and minor Reykjavikians attempt to give to the ducks.
Photograph 68x99cm, 4 Felt pen drawings on walls, 4 large loafs of homebaked bread in the shape of bird carcasses for birds to feed on.
Shown in Module-The Mobile Box at Reykjavik Artfest 2008 (Listahátíð)
