Mile­stone­s│Richard Serra

Milestones by Richard Serra, 1991.
18.09.2015
Viðey Island

For the Reykjavík Arts Festival of 1990, a work of art by US sculp­tor Richard Serra was crea­ted on West island.

The work comprises nine pairs of pillars of columnar basalt, which “frame” certain landmarks and destinations. Serra, one of the most influential sculptors of the post-war era, made a gift of "Áfangar" to the Icelandic people.

Each pair of pillars is placed so that one stands nine metres above sea level and the other ten metres. The pillar which stands lower is four metres high, and the other three metres tall, so the tops of all the pillars are level. The distance between each pair of pillars is defined by the varying gradient of the ground where they stand.