Directions

The piece, by Steinunn Þórarinsdóttir, depicts four figures cast from the same mould, placed on top of columnar basalt plinths. They face towards the four cardinal points of the compass, in reference to the fact that from this point at Keflavik Airport, people´s paths lie in all directions, and they also serve as signs. The figures are like lighthouses, which show the way, and are visible from far away in this large open area, even when people are sitting down. Passengers and others passing through the area can really enter the work, and stand in the middle of it, thus experiencing the cardinal points themselves, and perceiving themselves as the centre of the work.

The figures are all cast from the same mould, in aluminium, which refers to the colour and material of planes and the sky. They are life-size human figures, standing on 120cm-tall  pedestals of columnar basalt, the most Icelandic of rocks. The total height of the piece is thus about three metres, and it is located within a space which is three metres square.

More on Steinunn webpage:  www.steinunnth.com

The Rainbow

The artwork by Icelandic artist Rúrí is situated in front of the air terminal a short distance to the north. It reaches 24 metres into the sky, made of stainless steel and stained glass.  “The natural rainbow materializes out of the blue, lasts for a few moments and disappears just as suddenly as it appeared. Nobody can grasp it, nor even get close to it, yet it holds a very special value for most people”.  Rainbow vas installed in 1991.

More on Ruri webpage: www.ruri.is

Stained-glass work

The artworks are two and are by Leifur Breiðfjörð.  They are situated inside the terminal windows.  Their forms suggest kites.  They express man's longing for flight and incorporate references to Iceland's guardian spirits.  At night they are floodlit from above.

Bas-relief of Leifur Eiríksson

Mrs. Vigdís Finnbogadóttir then president of Iceland unveiled the Leifur Eiríksson memorial when the air terminal was inaugurated 14. April 1987. The air terminal is named after Leifur the explorer that is said to have found America.  The memorial is a bas-relief of the statue of Leifur Eiríksson that is situated in front of Hallgrímskirkja in Reykjavík.  The bas-relief is on a triangular stone pillar from Icelandic stone.  The pillar, which is 2.8 metres tall, is built in Iceland but the bas-relief itself is foreign made.

Greetings

The artwork is designed by Sigurjón Ólafsson. The title refers to a well known poem by Icelandic favorite Jónas Hallgrímsson, which he wrote in Copenhagen in the spring of 1844. Leifur Eiríksson Air Terminal acquired the sculpture in 1988 and even through it is abstract is has a strong tie to the poem. In it you can see the bird that Jónas wrote about and the girl back in Iceland to whom he was sending his regards from Denmark. In addition to the visual beauty of the sculpture it is also symbolic for all those passing through the terminal, whether they are getting or wishing someone bon voyage!