In Search of Magic – interview with Libia Castro & Ólafur Ólafsson

1 In Search of Magic – …, Libia & Ólafur and The Magic Team, photo Kristín Helga Ríkharðsdóttir_1920

The artists team Libia Castro & Ólafur Ólafsson invited a group of composers, musicians, organizations, activists and members of the public to join them in creating a multivocal music and visual art performance bringing to life all 114 articles of the proposed new Icelandic constitution from 2011.

 

 

In Search of Magic – A Proposal for a New Constitution for the Republic of Iceland:

The history of the Icelandic Constitution is tainted with Nordic Colonialism since it was implemented when Iceland was under Danish rule. In 1944 when Iceland became an independent state the Danish constitution from 1849 became the new Icelandic constitution with a few additions about the position of the Icelandic Head of State. Since then there haven’t been any modification to this constitution but many have tried.

The new constitution was written in response to the Icelandic public‘s demand following the 2008 political and economic crisis, with the key aim of contributing to a fairer and more democratic society. The project gained international attention for its innovative, democratic approach. On October 20, 2012, the nation voted yes to its new constitution. Nonetheless, it has still not been ratified by the Icelandic parliament.

Eight years later, Libia & Ólafur and the Magic Team met during the autumn of 2020 to harness the power and magic of the arts to reflect on and tackle the public‘s demand for a new constitution, which remains just as urgent. The event took place at the Reykjavík Art Museum Hafnarhúsið / Harbour House

Libia & Ólafur are interviewed by Kasper Strömman and the event is a part of a series of conversations called Revolution Now!

Libia Castro (ES) and Ólafur Ólafsson (IS), started to work together in 1997 in the Netherlands. In their projects they collaborate with people of all walks of life and use different media and disciplines. Their practice is collective, informal, conceptual, critical and socio-politically engaged. Over the years they have joined activist groups and invited other artists, professionals and different people to work in tandem with art and activism, creating temporary elastic DIT (Do It Together) – collectives.

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