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| Time of residency | June 2026 |
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| Contact info | thoranna.bjornsdottir@gmail.com |
| Definition of artistic practice? | Thoranna Bjornsdottir - a sound & visual artist based in Iceland. Thoranna's works are focused on the act of listening, allowing sounds to ignite myriad images and associations which give rise to various outcomes in form, time and space; her work has built upon the interplay of film and live music performances and takes on the form of sculpture, performance and soundwork. Through a multidisciplinary approach her practice often places the viewer or audience at the centre of the work. |
| Title of the investigation at the residency | Rituals in Performing Arts - Metabolic songs |
| Description of investigations and findings | Investigating place-based performances centred on perception, intuition, and emotion, exploring the active participation of human and more-than-human agencies in shaping the conditions of each moment. Performance is examined through the concepts of magic and ritual as experimental modes of inquiry into natural forces, belief, and our capacity to access and activate internal and external energies. The research asks how, why, and under what conditions practices become ritualistic, fostering shifts in perception, embodied awareness, and emotional grounding in relation to ourselves, one another, and the places we inhabit. During the residency, the work further developed multisensory perception, perception–action relationships, solitary practice, symbiosis, and the resonance between touch, bodily awareness, and the natural environment. This engaged process enabled meaningful participation and connections with place and land to emerge as the foundation of the performances.
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| What are you most curious about or invested in in your own practice? | Exploring how, why, and under what conditions performance becomes ritualistic; how they can foster shifts in perception and mindset, cultivate embodied awareness, and create emotional grounding in relation to ourselves, one another, and the places we inhabit. |
| What questions did you bring to investigate and what questions are you leaving with? | Questions about the role of mythical imagery and symbolic action as expressions of the inner human world, asking how they continue to enrich or create meaning and relevance within contemporary art? How can contemporary art address the perennial human need for coherence, connection, and cosmic significance? How can the embodied intelligence of myth, touch, and our relationship with the more-than-human world be reactivated through contemporary artistic practice? |
| Transformative, creative moments at the residency | I wanted to work with human hands endowed with the sensibility of plant roots. I encountered the words of Saint Francis of Assisi: “Our hands imbibe like roots, so I place them on what is beautiful in this world.” The quote became a catalyst - a moment of recognition that awakened new creative impulses. Through encounters with the artistic practices of fellow artists in residence, these impulses grew into fertile exchanges, opening new pathways for dialogue, connection, and shared discovery. |
| Keywords for the work done at the residency | Connection, Drumming, Embodied Landscapes, Hands, More than human, Mudwater, Ritual, udesidning |
| Research locations | BIRCA grounds, Chakra energy fields, Forrest, Hasle, Krystalsøen (Crystal Lake), Natur Bornholm, Wood at BIRCA |
| Further documentation | BIRCA_skissur og process |
| Photos documenting the research |
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| Videos of work in progess or reflections | |
| Webside links |
Thoranna Bjornsdottir
