Nov 20 2023 28 mins 59
"I noticed that language seems to fail us. How do you write about the foundations of our existence? That is how mythology enters very naturally into the story, because history is about ideas, religions, empires, wars and culture. Mythology is about the fundaments. Sun, moon, wind, oceans, great floods and tragic gods... We are living in mythological times, where we are shaking the fundaments." - Andri Snær Magnason
Drawing on ideas in his book, On Time and Water, the Icelandic writer Andri Snær Magnason and the Scottish artist Katie Paterson explore how our imagination can help us hold the moment we live in. From handfuls of dust to watching geological time mark the landscape, this documentary flows from the night skies into the deepest known point in our oceans.
Archive recording from Raddir - Voices: Recordings of Folk Songs courtesy of the Árni Magnússon Institute 'Vatnajökull (the sound of)' recording courtesy of Katie Paterson
Recording of the journey to Okjökull by Guðni Tómasson Music composed and performed by Phil Smith and Zac Gvi
Produced by Eleanor McDowall A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4
