Tinna was the curator of the art and performance exhibition ‘Piano’ at Reykjavik Arts Festival in the National Gallery of Iceland in 2014. ‘Piano’ was an extensive exhibition containing works by various artists, a.o. composers, visual artists, dancers and more. The crown jewelry of the exhibition was the large-scale work ‘Cellar Duet’ (1980-89) by Dieter Roth and his children, which was kindly loaned by the Dieter Roth Foundation, Hamburg and Dieter Roth Estate, Basel. Works were exhibited by: Adalheidur S. Eysteinsdóttir, Björn Roth/Dieter Roth/Vera Roth, Einar Torfi Einarsson, Einar Roth/Oddur Roth/Björn Roth, Ingunn Fjóla Ingthórsdóttir, Jón Egill Bergthórsson/Sveinbjörn Gröndal, Margrét Bjarnadóttir, Nikulás Stefán Nikulásson, Páll Ivan frá Eidum, Rafael Pinho. Performances by: Einar Torfi Einarsson/Tinna Thorsteinsdóttir, Margrét Bjarnadóttir, Páll Ivan frá Eidum, Sveinbjörn Gröndal and more. Tinna performed three of Annea Lockwood´s Piano Transplants (1968-82/2005) during the year 2014 prior to the opening of the exhibition: Piano Burning, Piano Garden and Southern Exposure. The happenings were photographed by photographer Rafael Pinho as the promotional material for the Reykjavik Arts Festival, which included four brochure cover photos. Piano Burning was recorded as a video work by David Oldfield.
Foreword from the exhibition catalogue by Tinna Thorsteinsdóttir:
The piano has played an infinite number of roles throughout history and is possessed of a colourful historical background. But what is the role of the piano today? What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a piano? Although the answer varies from person to person, one thing is certain: the piano has been given pride of place in a lot of homes throughout the times. The piano, which has also functioned as a status symbol, is without a doubt the most popular instrument for playing around the house, and as such it gradually became ever more common in European middle class homes. On special occasions the family would gather in front of the piano to sing, and before the advent of the gramophone, the latest tunes and compositions would be passed from person to person. Part of a young lady’s education was conducted at the piano, and having a lovely voice to boot was no bad thing. Thus, the piano became an inseparable part of the domestic image. We are fond of the piano. But it also represents so much more. The piano is a large object that has been the subject of much reverence, not merely as the maker of sound and merry, or even as a piece of furniture, but also as an economic object. Building an instrument may take years. After the careful selection of the wood, the construction process begins and a number of elements are brought together. The skill of the professional, the fusion of handicraft and the science of chemistry and physics form a magical whole, because every single piano is unique. Although the construction of the instrument is performed with scientific precision, there is no clear-cut formula to predict precisely how it will sound once the process comes to an end. Thus, we learn to recognize the individual sound of each instrument. The piano becomes a living person who might accompany us for the rest of our days, and the bond grows strong, as if the instrument were a close family member. Children learn to play at a young age and a single piano can comprise the history of countless fingers and patient hours. This creates an unbreakable bond between time and instrument. The piano is valuable; the wood, the ivory that once was, the metal, strings and hammers today seem incongruous with regard to the planet’s ecosystem. The art of happenings, in which the piano has been a recurring subject of destruction, even unconsciously serves to raise doubts over the validity of this waste, because the instrument is highly symbolic in all its glory. A symbol of the elation of the human spirit and the high point of bourgeois society, of human genius, but at the same time also the simplicity of melody and chords, which can simultaneously capture the technically demanding to the very limits of human capacity. At the same time, the piano is there for all of us to approach in an extremely accessible manner. The piano is really all around us; we simply press the key and the note speaks for itself. The exhibition ‘Piano’ aspires to examine the role of the piano in modern society. If we look beyond the keyboard there’s much to discover, and it becomes a source for new viewpoints and an excellent springboard for an all-out exploration, perhaps even of ourselves. This is precisely what happens; the artists examine different aspects of the instrument and utilize them for the creative process. The piano appears in the form of a sculpture and the artists explore its form, engineering, sound making, components, environment and conduct. The exhibition spans the field of happenings, theatre, musical composition and visual arts. Most of the work has been commissioned especially for this exhibition.
Special thanks to the installation team: Björn Roth/Einar Roth/Oddur Roth and others and to Hanna Styrmisdóttir, Artistic Director of Reykjavik Arts Festival 2014, as well as to a large group of individuals and companies which contributed to the exhibition in some way.