Overview
About The Sun Voyager
The idea behind the vessel
The work’s outline suggests a ship, but the artist conceived it as an imagined vessel associated with sunlight, discovery and the future. It is not intended as a reconstruction of a Viking boat. Its open steel framework leaves the sea and sky visible through the sculpture, linking the object to its waterfront surroundings. The official account describes the work through themes of possibility, hope and freedom.
From competition to city landmark
The design won a competition associated with Reykjavík’s bicentenary in 1986. An aluminium model was presented to the city before the full-sized work was produced. The sculpture was unveiled on Sæbraut on 18 August 1990, Reykjavík’s anniversary, after Jón Gunnar’s death in 1989. Stainless steel rests on a setting of granite slabs. Its position beside Faxaflói gives it a relationship with the bay and the view towards Esja.
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