Reshaping Mineral Wool is a collaboration between Flétta and Kristín Sigurðardóttur, where they look at ways to transform mineral wool into a new material. In their work, they make use of excess material that is generally not utilised, but instead gets sent to landfill. Moreover, mineral wool is one of the few building materials that are produced in Iceland, using locally sourced minerals. The exhibition takes an experimental approach, employing various media to shed light on the value of this material, which is otherwise disposed of as waste. Videos, photographs, samples, objects, sound and text invite the guest to explore the different possibilities for reshaping mineral wool.
Kristín Sigurðardóttir (b. 1989) is a product designer living in Göteborg, Sweden. Kristín is part of Willow Project, which has been exhibited at Dutch Design Week and Earth Matters at TextielMuseum in Tilburg, the Netherlands. Writings about the project can be found in the books Radical Matter: Rethinking Materials for a Sustainable Future og Why Materials Matter: Responsible Design for a Better World. Kristín and Flétta’s research, Reshaping Mineral Wool, is a continuation of Kristín’s graduation project on the transformation of mineral wool into black, vitreous material.
Designers Birta Rós Brynjólfsdóttir (b. 1992) and Hrefna Sigurðardóttir (b. 1989) founded Flétta in 2018, but they have been collaborating on projects related to upcycling since 2014. At first, their work shows signs of playfulness, but at a closer look, one notices an underlying, critical approach. They set boundaries for themselves in regards to methods and materials, with a view towards finding new and more sustainable solutions for design and daily use. Flétta seeks to give objects and materials that have either served their purpose or are no longer of use new life in a new context.
The project is supported by The Design Fund, Landsbankinn’s Community Fund and the Artists’ Salary Fund. The exhibition is a part of DesignMarch 2022.
