Kira Kira

Kira Kira Portrait

Biography

Kira Kira is Kristín Björk Kristjánsdóttir, a composer and audio/visual artist from Iceland. As a founding member of Kitchen Motors, a mischievous label and collective based on experiments in electronic music and arts, she continually breaks boundaries between forms and genres through a repertoire that includes compositions for theatre, film, dance and art installations – as well as playful multi-disciplinary productions that exceed her work as merely a composer. Kira Kira sprang from this collective in 1999 and to this day works with Kitchen Motors’ ethos at heart -a spirit of playfulness, exploring the relationship between experimental music and visual arts, collaborating with various artists.
Playing solo at first, Kira Kira has recorded and played with a wide range of musicians since 2008, mostly trumpet player Eiríkur Orri Ólafsson, Finnish percussionist Samuli Kosminen, contrabass wizard Borgar Magnason and artist Alex Somers as well as guitarists Hilmar Jensson and Pétur Hallgrímsson.

Her first feature film as director and screenwriter, Grandma Lo-fi – The Basement Tapes of Sigridur Nielsdottir has been celebrated in New York’s Museum of Modern Art MoMA, CPH Dox, SXSW and numerous other festivals around the world.

Kira Kira has released three albums, Skotta, Our Map to The Monster Olympics and Feathermagnetik which came out on Morr Music’s Sound of a Handshake moniker in 2012 and on Afterhours in Japan. In 2014, she released two new live recordings together with Eskmo (Brendan Angelides), featuring The Echo Society 12 piece chamber orchestra in Los Angeles. In 2016 she signed with London based Mute Song.

Film

Grandma Lo-fi - The Basement Tapes of Sigrídur Níelsdóttir, 2011
Composition, Co-Direction: Kira Kira
Copenhagen DOX
MoMA N.Y.
Sound and Vision Award CPH:DOX

Without Memory, 2011
A Film by Kira Kira
Music: Skuli Sverrisson

A Great Divide, 2011
A Film by Kira Kira
Music: Dustin O'Halloran

There's More than One Way to Dance, 2011
A Film by Kira Kira
Music: Tom Brosseau

On The Edge, 2007
The New Zealand Film Archive, Auckland

Spontaneous Kindness, 2006
A Film by Kira Kira
Music: Skuli Sverrisson

The Unclear Age - dance film, 2005
Director: Anais & Oliver Spiro
Music: Kira Kira & Johann Johannsson
Les Ballets C de la B


Video Art

Underneath - sound installation, 2011
In collaboration with Graham Keegan
Hla_an, Vogar, Iceland

Reciprocal, 2010
Installation by Elin Hansdottir
Biennial for International Light Art, Hamm, Deutschland

Trace, 2010
Installation by Elin Hansdottir
i8 Gallery, Reykjavik, Iceland

Spiral Út - solo exhibition, 2009
Gallery Sudsudvestur, Reykjanesbae, Iceland

Kite Symphony II - happening, 2008
Shanghai Museum of Science & Technology
NOTCH Festival / eARTS

Poltergeist Cuckoo - sound art, 2007
Gallerie 0047, Oslo, Norway

Kite Symphony I - happening, 2006
With Finnur Ragnarsson
Gardskagaviti, Iceland

Closer - sound installation, 2006
The Living Art Museum

The Helium Choir - happening/ sound installation, 2006
Sequences Real-time Art Festival, Reykjavik, Iceland

Romantic Undead - installation, 2005
Reykjavik Art Museum, Reykjavik, Iceland

Sing Blackhole - sound installation, 2004
Kunstcentrum Vooruit, Etoiles Polaires Festival, Gent, Belgium Slunkariki, Isafirdi, Iceland

Duell II, 2004
Sonic Pictures Festival, Kunstcentrum Vooruit, Gent, Belgium

Death by Laughter, 2003
Hallgrimskirkja church tower, Reykjavik, Kirkjulistahatid, Iceland

Last Breath, 2002
Reykjavik Apotechary tower, Iceland


FEATURE FILM

GRANDMA LO-FI - THE BASEMENT TAPES OF SIGRIDUR NIELSDOTTIR

Director & producer: Kristin Björk Kristjansdottir,
Orri Jonsson & Ingibjörg Birgisdottir


At the tender age of 70 she started recording and releasing her own music straight from her living room. 7 years later she had 59 albums to her name with more than 600 songs; an eccentric myriad of catchy compositions mixing in her pets' purrs and coos, found toys, kitchen percussion and casio keyboards. Before long the musician and visual artist, Sigrídur Níelsdóttir, became an adored cult figure in the Icelandic music scene, represented here by her young apprentices Mugison, múm, Sin Fang, Hildur Gudnadóttir, Mr. Silla and Kría Brekkan who pay tribute to the grandma's irresistible tunes and charm.

Shot mostly on Super-8 and 16 mm film GRANDMA LO-FI was created over a period of 8 years by three musicians debuting as directors, capturing the most creative period in the life of Sigrídur Níelsdóttir. In many ways Sigrídur is like a cartoon character. Poetic moves such as taking in broken-winged pigeons that in return sing along to her tunes or transform a cream whisk into a helicopter, all call for animated sequences that bridge the obscure space between her exemplary imagination and a delightfully peculiar everyday existence. GRANDMA LO-FI is a cinematic tribute to an amazing musician and her boundless creativity.

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