Ragnar Kjartansson

The soundtrack to the globally acclaimed video installation ‘The Visitors’. Pressed on 180-gram heavyweight black vinyl. Vinyl housed in a stunning handmade five-panel 1200 micron duplexed sleeve showcasing the photographic stills of the band in situ at Rokeby Mansion and including multi-fold silk art liner notes by Canadian poet Anne Carson. "As with most of Ragnar Kjartansson’s performances and artworks, music and creative collaboration with his friends also play a crucial role in ‘The Visitors’. The work’s kernel is a text by the artist Ásdís Sif Gunnarsdóttir, which Kjartansson has assembled from performances of hers and written music to along with Davíd Þór Jónsson.

Several musicians and friends from the Reykjavík music scene, including members of Sigus Ros and Mum - Þorvaldur Gröndal, Shahzad Ismaily, Davíð Þór Jónsson, Ólafur Jónsson, Ragnar Kjartansson, Kjartan Sveinsson, Gyða Valtýsdóttir and Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir, with Richard Aldrich and the Rokeby Choir - perform the song in a variety of settings in the many Rokeby rooms. Each unique part focuses on a new room and a different musician.

Music recorded by Christopher McDonald. Mixed and mastered by Christopher McDonald and Kjartan Sveinsson. Photos by Elisabet Davidsdottir. Cut by Noel Summerville at 3345 Mastering. Art direction by Ragnar Helgi Olafsson."

“Kjartansson had me spellbound an entire afternoon. For my money, The Visitors could go on all day.”
– Adrian Searle, The Guardian

“Add to the list of great hallmarks of Icelandic 
culture – the sagas, the midnight suns, Björk – the
 duration-based performance art of Ragnar Kjartansson… The imagery conveys a vulnerable beauty and a Gothic romance worthy of Caspar David Friedrich.”
– Andrea K Scott, The New Yorker

“Repeatedly immersing myself in the nine screen video installation was still one of 2015’s most memorable and moving experiences.”
– Vince Aletti, Artforum