13 Oct 2026
Soundscape | Rún Árnadóttir
Essayby Rún Árnadóttir
“How do we touch our electronics, phones, laptops, screens?
Repeatedly, we touch the screen, push delicately, stroke, contact. The touchpaths of two fingers and one thumb are translated into drawings and drawings into sounds. This piece is written for cello and electronics and is an interpretation of the intimacy between us and our electronic devices. I’ll attach an image of one of the sketches drawn in the process.”
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The Icelandic composer Rún Árnadóttir introduces a dimension into her work that is of the utmost interest within the scope of this project, which, as we know, is designed for digital environments. This dimension is the gesture's empathy, imbued with what we recognise as ‘human warmth’.
Consequently, this haptic approach deliberately distances itself from the rational coldness of digital environments, introducing a new condition: sensitivity.
The sensitive, as a decisive component of art and, as such, of sound, is thus introduced into computational hyper-rationality. It is an important statement, here far removed from any rhetoric, but put into practice in the beautiful composition she presents to us.
Let us, then, contemplate Rún’s sensitivity through her composition, aptly titled Touch, and let us remember the warm significance this word holds for humans and our need to keep it very much alive in this age of machine-mediated interactions that are beginning to call into question the warmth of touch.
Rún Árnadóttir and Fernando José Pereira
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The Soundscape section is coordinated by Fernando José Pereira
BIOGRAPHY
Rún Árnadóttir is an Icelandic cellist, musician and composer. She holds a B.Mus.Ed. in classical cello performance and music education from the Iceland University of the Arts. Her work moves between classical music, experimental sound, electronic music and songwriting, with a particular interest in exploring the cello beyond its traditional role. She composes, records and performs with her Icelandic post-punk band “Virgin Orchestra”, while also taking part in various musical and creative projects and working as a cello teacher. Her work is rooted in classical training while embracing experimentation, improvisation and an expanded approach to sound.
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