exhibitions

The Panels from Bjarnastadahlíd

the national museum

In 1924 the National Museum acquired thirteen carved panels. The panels came from Bjarnastadahlíd in Skagafjördur, and for a long time the images on them were a mystery

challenge

Dr. Selma Jónsdóttir, the first woman to receive a doctorate from the University of Iceland, argued in her thesis that the boards were remnants of a Byzantine Judgement Day image from the 11th century.

Former State Antiquarian, Dr. Kristján Eldjárn, aired similar ideas on print in 1953. Hördur Ágústsson, painter and scholar, argued in his book “Dómsdagur og helgir menn á hólum” (1989) that the panels were originally in the Hólar Cathedral in the 12th century.

It was Árni Páll Jóhannsson who did design the exhibition. Employees at the National Museum wrote manuscript. Exhibition manager is Ágústa Kristófersdóttir and music is by Sverrir Guðjónsson.

solution

Modern technology is used to reconstruct the Judgement day image from the 11th century. Gagarin produced all digital media used in the exhibition.