Dave Hebb - Á Landinu
In Icelandic, the term “á landinu” literally means “on the land”. As a foreigner who is drawn to Iceland’s natural beauty, people and culture I sense a hidden subtext behind the term. I once heard an Icelander at the airport use it to ask if a friend had landed; were they “on the land”? At that moment I perceived a subtle allusion to "on the land of Iceland"; the birthplace of every Icelander. For me this suggested that the Icelandic language itself reveals an almost preconscious connection between the land and Icelandic identity.
I have purposely not focused on the dramatic natural beauty of waterfalls, volcanoes or glaciers, but rather the on incidental but unique details like a cleft in the hillside or bleached white branches on the black sand. I also search for examples of human infrastructure that contrast with the rugged landscape such as the clean lines of geothermal pipes or the bold use of color on gas stations and disintegrating old buildings. I see these scenes as metaphors of resourcefulness and reverence for, but also defiance against the terrifying but sublime bleakness of the misty moss-covered lava fields.
