The Mediated Landscape: Iceland’s Wilderness in Cinema, Travel, and Transition

Natural environments have been formative for cultural traditions and national identities. Iceland's landscapes became prominent in visual culture due to their cinematic appeal. Recent growth in tourism and media communications have transformed Iceland into a coveted travel destination over the span of the past decade. Media and travel practices frame and re-frame the geological uniqueness of this sub-Arctic, mid-Atlantic island through countless narratives and visuals. While marketed to travelers as a place of pristine wilderness, the space of Iceland's nature are contested grounds with fragile ecosystems caught between preservation and industrialization. Through a series of maps and drawings that borrow elements of 'sequence' and 'duration' from cinematography, this project aims to construct a mediation with the idiosyncratic landscape. Repositioning the notion of 'landscape' from a primarily visual entity to a layered catalyst for culture, this thesis proposes a network of installations in support of Iceland's ecology through travel.