Bruce Percy | Halendi | Minimalism in the Icelandic Interior | Black Edition
Bruce Percy | Halendi | Minimalism in the Icelandic Interior | Black Edition
£995
The vast black deserts of the Icelandic interior are brought together in this book with winter scenes where often there is nothin but the faint outline of a mountain ridge, suspended in space.
Preface by Hans Strand
Release Date: Late 2020
Hardback, Cloth, 30cm x 30cm.
Black Slate slipcase + three prints included
Book is signed and Prints are signed & numbered
Prints are 8” inches square, printed on Hahnemuehle rag paper
112 pages with 96 colour plates.
Limited to 30 copies
Only 3 copies left
An Outsider Looking In
Icelandic landscapes differ from other landscapes. The unique absence of trees opens up the landscape so that you can see almost everywhere for 50 km in any direction. For people living outside of Iceland who are used to having trees in their wilderness, this absence is overwhelming and to some extent agoraphobic. Icelanders see open space very differently. They observe how clouds form over distant mountain peaks and how rainstorms move in from the ocean. This way of seeing is an everyday activity for most Icelanders, so it is not uncommon to hear Icelanders complain that there was nothing to see when they visit one of the few forests that do exist. To their mind, the trees block their view so they feel claustrophobic in those areas.
There is a feeling of eternity when overlooking the great glaciers of Iceland. Standing on a nearby mountain peak or flying over the ice one sees white snow and ice all the way to the horizon. The mighty Vatnajökull has the greatest ice field of all the glaciers in Europe. It is discouraging that this view of endless white horizon might not be here 50 years from now due to global warming. The enormity of the white view of a glacier makes one feel small. Ice is a far more hostile element than water, so the view over the glacier can be intimidating to us humans as humans are not meant for ice. The ice is for itself. An expression of Earth without organic life but still a life-giving source, supplying necessary meltwater to the nearby surroundings where organic life can thrive.
Horizons are important ingredients in landscape photographs and have always attracted photographers. In landscape photography there is a tradition to take the photographs in the early morning or late evening warm sunlight. However, the Icelandic climate and weather do not allow that many colourful skies and warm light situations. Icelandic horizons are most often moody and grey. Grey skies may lack colour, but they have their textures and shades and grey weather offers softer light than sunny skies. Believe it or not, there is more colour diversity in the landscape when photographing in overcast light. This little- appreciated phenomenon is well understood and interpreted by Bruce Percy and captured so well by his camera. He has focused on the geometry of
the land and how it interacts with the moody skies. The result is a very truthful way of seeing, free from the urge to impress. It is instead the inner soul of Iceland that comes out in Percy’s imagery.
Working in overcast situations, one seldom needs to hurry, which contrasts with shooting a sunrise where you only have a few minutes to find your camera position and composition. In low contrast, overcast conditions, one can spend lots of time figuring out how to form your interpretation of the landscape in front of you. As a result, grey- weather photographs often tend to be moreprecise in their execution and more sophisticated in their composition. Consequently, the Icelandic landscape, with its barren expanses and sparse vegetation, is more truthfully depicted in this book. The stark images contained herein illustrate to us that Iceland is not a romantic place. Instead, it is rough and serious.
Hans Strand
Photographer