Sigurrós G. Björnstóddir

(b. 1991), lives and works in Antwerp, Belgium

I notice elements in my surroundings, something that catches my eye, oddly placed objects, something strange, or a funny coincidence. Maybe it's a shape of an object or a surprising encounter that attracts my attention at first, but after some simmering, it becomes more than meets the eye. An awkward presence, a mouthwatering atmosphere, or a reminder of memories. How did the fresh flower bouquet end in the trash, why is the ladder in the middle of the swimming pool? Is this a giant match or a long block of wood with a burned end?

PARKING LOT POND AND NEW NAILS
She stops at a red light and notices yet another woman bundled up in a thick coat, hat, scarf and mittens, but bare-legged in the cold breeze. Across the street, a cowboy with a toothpick in the corner of his mouth, is pumping water from a yellow hose across the parking lot. There is a pile of toothpicks around him. How long has he been standing there? The parking lot is beginning to resemble a small pond. She decides to take a shortcut and walks across the park. She bumps into a stone, and it is like the stone is smiling at her. This startled her, but when she looks back, the smile had disappeared, and the stone was the most ordinary stone. She reaches the end of her journey, picks up a pack of new nails and looks forward to going home and adding them to her collection. Some point up and others down, some become worms and others snakes, but nothing is certain.