Davíð Þór Jónsson

Some people have to live their lives on a constant look out for snakes. Some even have to wear boots all the time. But people in Iceland have the privilege of just wearing whatever shoes they want – without any worries.

A celebration of creativity, community, and friendship, The Visitors (2012) documents a 64-minute durational performance Kjartansson staged with some of his closest friends at the romantically dilapidated Rokeby Farm in upstate New York. Each of the nine channels shows a musician or group of musicians, including some of Iceland’s most renowned as well as members of the family that owns Rokeby Farm, performing in a separate space in the storied house and grounds; each wears headphones to hear the others. As the music begins and repeats, individual players stop, start, and move between rooms. Viewed together, the individual videos present an ensemble performance Kjartansson calls a “feminine nihilistic gospel song.” The piece itself sets lyrics from a poem by artist Ásdís Sif Gunnarsdóttir, Ragnar´s ex-wife, to a musical arrangement by the artist and Icelandic musician Davíð Þór Jónsson; the title comes from a 1981 album from Swedish pop band ABBA, meant to be its last.

The film follows a day in the life of a troubled elderly gentleman facing fear of death and visions of his late father who he gets mixed up with his favorite figure of fiction, Captain Ahab from Moby Dick. He has visions of rubber shoes in the sewer where he works leading him to think back on his childhood and the origins of his bizarre work of art for which he has sacrificed even his marriage. His masterpiece is a bizarre fence along a black beach which he tends to with tenderness but dreads to complete.

The repetition and the circumstances increasingly take their toll when isolation, claustrophobia and paranoia set in. As if We Existed is an interpretation of an art piece by Ragnar Kjartansson who represented Iceland at the 53rd Venice Biennale in 2009. His piece, The End, was a six month long performance.

The protagonist Ketill Larsen is a 71-year-old man living in a desolate house on a hill with a view of a shopping mall on the outskirts of Reykjavik. Each day, with a bag filled with his own works, he hitchhikes to the city center where he writes poems and makes paintings (at least 15 a day) in his favorite cafes. As a retired actor he has a number of stories to tell which he stores using a portable tape recorder, and during Christmas time he dresses as Santa Claus. Though widely known in Iceland, Ketill remains a mysterious figure and an exception to the social norm. Joseph Marzolla and Tomas Lemarquis have created a film where the reality and the fantastical world of Ketill´s creations meet in an unforgettable journey. Ketill is a remarkable personality, who has a number of stories to tell and unusual experiences to share. He is a true artist, dedicated to his art and poetic in his everyday life.