Jóna Hlíf

Permanent Evanescence, 2025

Public Art Proposal for Orkureiturinn

I was selected to develop a proposal for a public art project at Orkureiturinn in Reykjavík, alongside four other artists, in a competition organised by Reykjavík City and SAFÍR. The project takes its inspiration from the ideas behind Orkureiturinn: a vibrant community, sunlight and changing light conditions, transformation as a source of energy, and the concept of orka (energy). The proposal was developed in close collaboration with architect Sóley Lilja Brynjarsdóttir and Hjálmar Stefán Brynjólfsson.

Energy is characterised by its ability to transform and take on new forms. Orkureiturinn is itself a place of transformation, a site with a living history undergoing renewal, where sunlight and the changing seasons play an important role. Permanent Evanescence emerges from the tension between change and permanence and consists of two proposed works.

The same daymark, another day.

The phrase refers to the permanence of repetition and the cycle of days. Every day follows the same fundamental structure, yet no two days are quite the same. The sunlight changes constantly, and the letters would cast shifting shadows throughout the year.

The work explores the relationship between permanence and change. The Icelandic concept of dagsmark refers to a marker of time in the landscape — a hill, shadow or other landmark by which people could historically read the movement of the sun and determine the time of day. The hope is that, over time, a feature of Orkureiturinn itself might become a dagsmark for its residents: a familiar landmark through which the passage of time can be experienced.

Tabula rasa

The second proposed work takes the form of an oversized A4 sheet of paper and is titled Tabula rasa. It refers to Orkureiturinn as a new beginning for the area — a place that will be living, changing and full of energy.

The work is conceived as a living wall-art project. In the spirit of Jan Gehl’s ideas in Life Between Buildings, wall art can contribute to a diverse range of social activities: it attracts attention, provokes responses and encourages people to pause, talk and connect with their surroundings. Over a four-year period, four established artists would create new works for Tabula rasa. An annual opening event would bring people together to experience the new work, meet one another and engage with the artwork and its surroundings. In this way, Tabula rasa would become an evolving exhibition space for visual art, as well as a place for connection, participation and community.

The artworks shown in the proposal for Tabula rasa are by Arnar Ásgeirsson, Sara Riel, and Sigga Björg Sigurðardóttir.