“Geognome” object
by Tinna Gunnarsdóttir · Reykjavík, Iceland

Iceland is an active volcano island, centred on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Some years ago large parts of Europe experienced this when glacier Eyjafjallajökull erupted, causing enormous disruptions to air travel due to vast amount of volcanic ash in the air. The volcanic ash forms when the hot magma of the eruption comes in contact with the melting glacier, causing steam explosions, which fragment the magma into these small particles we call ash. However, when there is no water involved volcanic eruptions generate lava. In 2014-15 a gigantic lava field was created in the central highland of Iceland, covering an area of 85 km2, which is similar to that of Copenhagen. The production of raw lava in Iceland comes in endless variations and vintages. Geognome seeks to get some kind of a control over this harsh but amazing material all around us. It refers to the Icelandic folk belief of hidden people living in the rocks – in a parallel universe. The object itself can be located indoor as well as outdoor. It is an open ended object and can have a variety of connotations depending on the context and the viewer. Geognome is handmade in Iceland by one of our finest stonemason. Each piece is unique because of the inherent variations of the natural material