Every Thursday, we will be dipping in to our archive to uncover an extraordinary art treasure. This week, we take a look at the breathtaking work of contemporary artist Catherine Anne Hiley.
Hrafn Floki (2013) was produced as a part of The Written Image project and accompanies a poem by the Glasgow-based writer Nalini Paul. The work itself is inspired by Norse mythology, and has been laser cut and concertinaed to resemble a raven, with its wings wrapped around the book.
The title Hrafn Floki refers to the nickname given to the Norseman Flóki Vilgerðarson (born c. 9th century). Following the path of Garðar Svavarsson, Flóki set sail on an expedition to from West Norway to Iceland in 868. It was said that he enlisted the wisdom of three ravens to help him navigate his ship, and from there on was known as Raven-Flóki (or Hrafna-Flóki in Old Norse).
