Plus minus century is a map of volcanic activity in Iceland. It describes the activity in the 20th century and what might possibly happen in the 21st. This is my final project in the Iceland Academy of Arts.

Iceland is a young island, still in the making so it is only a matter of time when the next eruption will occur, in fact the island sees an eruption every five years on average. The idea was to take a geological map and try to make it as accessible and comprehensible for the general public. Depicting the active area and its coverage, the purpose of the project is to illustrate the vivid geological activity of the island.

Volcanoes are a threat in the Icelandic context and the conse­­quences of an eruption are almost impossible to predict. It is therefore a vital importance to understand the looming danger. This project is supposed to have an awakening effect on the general public: Notice that you can expect anything from an active volcano.

The information on the map includes a description of the phenomenon of hot spot and the midatlantic ridge between the contintental plates, major eruptions since the settlement and status of active volcanoes. The volcanoes are divided into four groups, those who are likely to erupt, those who have recently erupted, places with high seismic activity and thus of unpredictable nature and finally those who are dormant but potentially active.

The design is based on simplicity to send a clear message regarding volcanic activity where the gravity of the situation is expressed by the colour combination. The cold colours which refer to lava rocks are used against hot and bright colours which refer to fire. The piece is printed straight on the backside of plexiglass to make the colors pop out.

The end result was presented at an exhibition at Reykjavík Art Museum, april 21 - mai 6 2012. Read Less