I feel asleep

when you're inside a message it can be really hard to see
what it actually means

it may take some distance and some time
some zooming out to actually see its forms

the shape
the colours

the tones of meaning

to fully register what lies behind the short words
the vocabulary

the punctuation
the accompanying emoji

how to keep up
with the tempo of the chat
when the real volume doesn't fit in the bubble
like the good old iceberg
only 10% present on the screen
or maybe less

it takes distance
it takes time

a message so short
so casual, nonchalant
written without thinking
sent in a haze

but heavy
densest pixels
100kg each

just stay inside it, maybe
don't come out
don't try to gather what was said

just stay inside it
oblivious
to the 90%
or maybe more

Electromagnetic waves recorded on Elektrosluch 2.
Notification sounds by Whatsapp, Facebook Messenger, Samsung and Apple.
Theremin cover by Hermigervill (Sveinbjörn Thorarensen)

_

Drawn to materials which seem to exist on the verge of perception, the intangible, invisible and indiscernible play an important role in Á. Birna Björnsdóttir’s work. Contrasted with the concrete, voluminous and seemingly more important, her sculptural works take shape on a broad scale of materiality. Hundreds of meters of electrical wire, digital luster, a piece of aerogel, a soft hum, blinking eyes on a carelessly placed smartphone, an apricot kernel, electromagnetic waves, a lump of lead or a missed phone call. Though deceiving by their harmless looks, Birna’s works often inhabit a trickster-like character, gently poking the viewer by snapping them out of their role as audience.

_

GSM is a space for solo exhibitions that is defined by a time-slot and frequencies rather than a set of walls. The artists install their work in a space consisting of minutes on air. GSM is not a space specifically for artists that use sound as a medium but rather a place for transforming artists’ works into sonic encounters. Rethinking space and audience experience, GSM brings the exhibition to whatever space the audience finds themselves in. Whether that is in a jeep on a highway, issuing from a constructors radio on a building site or via airpods on an afternoon stroll.
Founded by Helena Aðalsteinsdóttir and Ásgerður Birna Björnsdóttir in 2017, GSM’s first exhibition series was hosted by the National Radio of Iceland and the second series ‘Messages from the Deep’ is hosted by Ja Ja Ja Nee Nee Nee.