A Trip to the Grocery Store is a photo book about four mundane but otherworldly trips to a grocery store in the eastern region of Iceland.  This body of work was conceptualized and produced during a repeated, eighty-two minute, round-trip journey from the small village of Stöðvarfjörður - where I participated in a one-month art residency - to the nearest grocery store in the town of Reyðarfjörður.  Photographed entirely through the windows of a blue mini-van, this collection of 66 photographs documents the entrancing landscapes of East Iceland during the winter of 2019.  A Trip to the Grocery Store carries an authentic yet surreal quality, transporting viewers to a dreamlike place.  

Going to this grocery store was like a field trip; the other artists and I set off once every week, piling into that rusted van with our bright-yellow, reusable, grocery bags and smiles on our faces in anticipation of the drive ahead.  During these trips, I began to notice how we all got quiet as the van approached this mysterious tunnel, carved into a mountainside.  Each time we drove through this rugged and dimly lit tunnel, conversations paused as we stared, entranced for a seemingly endless four miles.  Going to this grocery store was an opportunity to simply be and exist in that present moment only - no wifi, no service, and no obligations but to enjoy the view.  I found myself captivated, constantly staring at the endless landscapes that surrounded us, and as a result realized the luxury of being surrounded by nature and the importance of inconvenience.  This book serves as a vessel that allows one to take their own trip to a grocery store, to slow down and take a moment of rest.

.

Details: 
71 pages, 66 photographs
12 x 8" hardcover book, signed