LEIKVÖLLUR SAGRA
Work in cooperation with Riccardo Vialati
This collaborative project between artist
Ívar Ölmu and artist and curator
Riccardo Vailati stems from a number
of questions concerning childhood,
the loss of innocence, maturity and
awareness. Inspired by the work of
Thomas Hirschhorn and the research of
Aldo Van Eyck, the object of their
research became the playground, a
multi-layered place where creativity,
intellect and light- heartedness come
together. In keeping with the theme the 2026 festival, the playground is a place where dreams come true, where imagination and freedom of
expression encourage
play at a community
level. In this case,
however, the work
develops as a hybrid
place, anonymous, but
at the same time linked
to different aesthetic
contexts, from the
church to the castle, from the circus to the paper rocket, from a ramshackle shelter to a storage of rudimentary toys. First of all, though, it develops
as a research center,
with the
playground being the
object of interest.
Reflecting on how
people's relationship
with playgrounds, and
places in general,
changes as they grow up, we consequently wondered how
dreams, play, and awareness transform. Within this non-place, the audience is invited to participate by answering the questions found inside,
becoming part of the
research itself, and by
interacting with its
aesthetic details. This
structure is therefore
meant to be the
beginning of a research
process, but also a
temporary monument and a celebration of ingenuity and imagination, where it takes little to give in to play and build entire worlds from almost nothing. The work is entitled LEIKVÖLLUR SAGRA,
combining an Icelandic word
related to the subject in
question and an Italian word
meaning “festival” but with a
meaning more closely linked to
people,traditions and a sense
of community.
The two questions inside the
structure:
“Which place do you consider
to be your favourite playground
and why?”
“What would your dream
playground be like?”
2026, Hamraborg festival, Hamraborg, 200 Kópavogur
