Jónsi - Hrafntinna (Obsidian)

Acquisition for Mona, 2022

Visitors enter a darkened room, dimly lit to reveal a central plinth encircled by around two hundred speakers. Inspired by performances of Icelandic choir groups, Jónsi wrote his own choral hymn in four parts. Primal in nature and devoid of identifiable lyrics, his piercing voice strikes an array of emotional chords, echoing and reverberating throughout the multichannel installation. Soundscapes of gritty rocks and searing lava are coupled with smoky, tar-like aromas of fossilized amber, the only essential oil in existence that is mined (as opposed to harvested). Enveloped within this perceptual framework, the audience finds themselves negotiating through an uncanny, bordering on spiritual, experience inside the cavernous belly of a volcano.

Image and text courtesy of the artist and Tanya Bonakdar Gallery.