Now in her early 70s, Sigrun Gunnarsdóttir is one of the most admired artists currently working on the Faroe Islands. The simplicity of her paintings is deceptive. She uses allegory and symbolism in a subtle and disarming way.
Filmmakers Marianna Mørkøre and Beinta á Torkilsheyggi (the artist’s daughter in law) have co-directed Heartist, a documentary looking at Sigrun’s life and work. The film, which had its premiere at CPH:DOX, is screening this week in the Best Nordic Documentary Competition at Nordisk Panorama.
Mørkøre is known for her short movies, many of which have screened internationally. This is her first venture into the longer form of documentary storytelling.
The project began when the artist was invited to give a lecture in Japan. Torkilsheyggi filmed some footage of Sigrun working in her studio. A little later, Sigrun had an exhibition at the National Gallery of the Faroe Islands. A short film was made to accompany the exhibition – and this in turn spawned the longer documentary.
“She [Sigrun] had to get used to the camera. We tried different ways of working…we ended up with this way where the camera is quite distant and we let things happen,” Mørkøre confides.
The documentary, produced by Jón Hammer and Rógvi Rasmussen through independent Faroe Islands outfit KYK, is shot in a spare, minimalistic style which reflects Sigrun’s art. The framing is often symmetrical. Some animation is also included. “We felt that if we were making a different kind of documentary, we needed to add something as well,” Mørkøre explains the framing and cartoonish elements. She talks of the pleasure they took in bringing Sigrid’s paintings to life.
Scottish animator Katy Beveridge, whom Mørkøre met when she was studying fashion in London, was recruited to do the stop motion work. “Sigrun approved of it – and I think she really liked it as well.”
Mørkøre and Torkilsheyggi shared every aspect of the directing work and made sure to film plenty of material. Mørkøre says they were never quite sure what would make it into the final cut.
“It was all kind of parallel. Developing the script, filming and editing all happened at the same time.” By the time they shot the final parts of the film, they were already deep into the editing. “As soon as something had been filmed, it was edited!”
The co-directors (who met when they worked on advertisements together) used many different strategies to capture their subject, such as filming Sigrun painting onto glass, thereby allowing viewers to see her brushwork in real time. (When Sigrun was previously commissioned to do a portrait of Queen Margrethe of Denmark, they left the camera on and recorded the monarch sitting remotely “so she wouldn’t feel disturbed by people watching her.”)
“Right now, she [Sigrun] is at the peak of her career, I would say,” Mørkøre notes. “She is very popular… She has been working hard and is persistent in her visual language. She hasn’t always been popular, but has been stubborn and has stuck to her style.”
The artist has various routines she always follows. She likes to go for the same solitary walk up into the mountains. The filmmakers show her on her regular hikes. “Her mother did lots of walks with her and her siblings. When she needs space from her work, she would do that kind of walk…she needs to get fresh air,” the director says of the respite from her work that Sigrun finds in nature and exercise.
Mørkøre speaks of Sigrun’s humility. The artist doesn’t have airs and graces. “But at the same time she is very quirky. She has her mindset. She is very disciplined and she has her routine. I find her very inspiring in that sense.”
What’s her favourite of Sigrid’s artworks? The question throws Mørkøre. “There are so many,” she says before finally alighting on the huge model of a bird that is shown in the documentary being driven around the Faroe Islands in a truck.
After the world premiere of Heartist at CPH:DOX, the film was programmed in the Faroe Islands and at the Nuuk International Film Festival in Greenland. Once it has finished its festival run, Mørkøre envisages that it will show in galleries – and that screenings might be accompanied by some of Sigrid’s art works – possibly even including the giant bird.
Now, Mørkøre and Torkilsheyggi are looking to work together again – but Mørkøre remains very coy about revealing too many details of any new projects. “Both me and Beinta are on maternity leave. Everything is happening at the same time,” she confides. She adds that she and her fellow director are trying to follow Sigrun’s example. “I think both of us are very much inspired by her determination to succeed – at her own pace. It takes time…With her work, she knew she was doing something different from the other painters and she didn’t change her style to become popular.”
