Artist Maria Sj?fn Dupuis Laufeyjard?ttir?s two-month residency at Skaftfell was devoted to studying the marine animals that live in? Sey?isfj?rdur. Her research was in response to a recently published report on the impact of sea fish faring on the ecosystem of the fjord: Ranns?knir ? l?fr?ki Sey?isfjar?ar: [Botnd?r, m?lingar ? seti, fuglar og ??rungar ? fj?ru (Research on the biosphere of Sey?isfj?r?ur). Erl?n E. J?hannsd?ttir, Halld?r Walter Stef?nsson og Cristian Gallo (2018).N?tt?rustofa Austurlands, Neskaupsta?. (https://rafhladan.is/handle/10802/29364)].?
Among the many findings of the report is an assessment of the great abundance and variety of benthic species and subspecies living in the fjord. Maria Sj?fn made images of some of these animals including crustaceans, gastropods, mollusks, bivalves, and Nemertea to draw attention to their existence; for despite the fact that they are not always visible, they are nonetheless present and vital to the ecology of the fjord.
The project relates to a fundamental aspect of Maria Sj?fns practice, in which she explores the nature of relationships between human and non-human life. The fjord is a fragile ecosystem, and the decisions humans make about introducing new species into the marine environment would undoubtedly have consequences.
List of illustrations:
Sey?isfj?r?ur MKV – scale: 1:25000.?Risoprent ? upplagi af 20 (Riso print, of 20)Me?alfj?ldi h?pa/tegunda ? st??vum sem liggja til grundvallar fyrir ?treikninga ? fj?lbreytni botnd?ra ? Sey?isfir?i.?(Average number of groups/species at base stations)
Amphipoda – marfl?. Silkiprent ? upplagi af 10 (Silkscreen print, edition of 10)
Cumacea – pungr?kja. ?ting prent ? upplagi af 10 (Etching, edition of 10)
Nemertea – Ranaormar. ?ting prent ? upplagi af 10 (Etching, edition of 10)
Bivalvia – Samlokur. ?ting prent ? upplagi af 10 (Etching, edition of 10)
Blue mussel – bl?skel. Silkiprent ? upplagi af 30 (Silkscreen print, edition of 30
