Motion
The Orator
Hafnartorg Gallery is a new lifestyle destination for shopping, food, wine and culture on banks of the old harbour in Reykjavik, Iceland. For the first of many installations to be presented in the gallery’s multi-purpose food hall, karlssonwilker collaborated with Högni Egilsson to create ‘The Orator’, a multi-sensory video installation that was shown as part of the 2022 Airwaves music festival. ‘The Orator’ is a contemporary interpretation of Greek tragedies, foretelling the end of our tentative and strained relationship with the planet, through the melancholic voice of an orating cello.
Hafnartog Gallery opened to the public in 2022
2022 Iceland Airwaves Festival


Each video screen is linked to its own unique instrumental track, and the visuals react idiosyncratically to the incoming stream of amplitudes and frequencies. The videos are played all together, synced to loop a 28 minute long musical experience. Inspired by natural elements and textures in the Icelandic landscape, the videos have visual ebbs and flows that harmonize within the space to present an interconnected narrative of a waning yet powerful ecological presence.
Bass
FX
Synth
Cello
Strings
Drums
Piano
Percussion