Reykjavik 871±2, The Settlement Exhibition

Reykjavik, Iceland

The Settlement Exhibition opened in 2006 and was built around archaeological remains which were excavated in the centre of Reykjavik, 2001. The remains turned out to be the oldest relics of human habitation in Iceland, with some of the fragments dated to before 871 AD. Further excavations between 2008–2012 revealed new findings so that today we have a great overview of the formation and settlement of Reykjavik.

Gagarin was hired to design and produce a new interactive table to disseminate the research from the latest findings. Our multi-user table enables visitors to learn about the area, individual buildings and various artifacts that were discovered in the excavations. The table sheds light on the material culture that existed during the first centuries of settlement in the village that would eventually become Reykjavik.

The content for the table was provided by archaeologists Sólrún Inga Traustadóttir and Eva Kristín Dal, and architect Hjörleifur Stefánsson.

Gagarin co-produced a variety of interactive installations with Art+Com in Berlin for the Settlement Exhibition, which was awarded the NODEM prize in 2006.

Visitors can in an interactive manner explore the settlement farm and its surroundings in 874 when the first settlers arrived in Iceland. The exhibition was designed in connection with an archaeological excavation on a Viking-age longhouse, which is the centerpiece of the exhibition

The exhibition was produced for Reykjavik City Museum. The Project leader was Hjörleifur Stefánsson (Gullinsnið) and the exhibition designer Þórunn Þorgrímsdóttir (Visionis ehf.)