Courtney Acosta is a US based artist living in Baltimore, Maryland.

They came to Iceland with a stack of paper and a few inks with the expectation of producing drawings that challenged the traditional way they knew how to draw. By the end of the residency they were able to complete over 200 drawings by leaning into a new practice for the artist, they called instinctive drawing. This practice is to draw on the page with no intentions in mind and letting ideas and form unfold as the drawing develops. Acosta was able to find joy, silliness, sexuality, humor, horror, figures, and abstractions from this experiment.

My previous practice surrounded portraiture; I worked from images and took time sketching and planning a piece before execution. However, since graduating from school a year ago, I’ve found my old processes difficult to return to in a limited space. Coming to the factory was the perfect opportunity to reacquaint my hand and cultivate a new practice. I limited my material and medium to allow myself to focus on a form of drawing that I could pick up at any time without a reference or idea. This led me to produce a lot! Here in these images, I play around with collaging my drawings over a light box and exploring their various compositions.

In my month here I was able to complete the stack of papers I brought with me; filling them with quick expressive drawings and expanding on ideas I came across onto a few larger concentrated drawings. Despite an impressive output, I really only found about a third of my drawings exciting. The real takeaway was not the drawings themselves (which are only a pushing off point) but learning the skill to draw instinctively. This method is one I can now return to when I seek creative freedom. Before this residency, my practice consisted entirely of portraiture. Here in Stöðvarfjörður, I learned how to draw mountains.

I hold lots of love for this Fjord and my cohort I met here. What I’ve learned from my time here will stay with me for years to come.

follow Courtney on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elephant.train/

Annie is a designer, illustrator, and climate researcher based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Drawing from her background in design, biology, and behavioral decision sciences, she is interested in the tensions and synergies between human systems and the natural world. Her artistic practice investigates the likely possibility that true sustainable, systemic climate action may be a philosophical shift before it is a practical one. How must our relationship with ecosystems change if we are to persist on Earth? How might storytelling help us cultivate more harmonious ways of being and knowing in the natural world?

During her time at Fish Factory, she spent a lot of time thinking about all things fish: wandering the fjords, eating all types of fish in the factory kitchen, and illustrating the final spreads for her debut children’s picture book, Salmon Run, which follows the life cycle and magical journey of a Coho Salmon from the rivers of Washington to the Pacific Ocean.

Fish Factory, the lovely community of residents, and the otherworldly landscape of the fjords was a nourishing, transformative environment for my creative practice. Thank you fish factory :)

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annichenn/
Website: https://annichen.cargo.site

 

The ceramics collection, Ofrendas Para Sa Bundok, is dedicated to mountains; the ones she’s cried to, prayed to, greeted good morning to and more. Each ofrenda has a bul-ul, a carved figure used to protect the land and harvests. The bul-ul for the Icelandic fjord holds a fish as an offering, the Ifugao bul-ul offers strands of rice grass, and the Punalu’u bul-ul carries a lei of kukui.

ChiChai’s “Kaya Ko Rin” from her 2024 series “Saan Ka Galing” is a poignant exploration of Filipino cultural heritage and craftsmanship, created during her time at the Fish Factory artist residency in Iceland. This Filipiniana is not only an embodiment of traditional forms but also a canvas for innovative ecological and cultural narratives.

The garment’s design intentionally foregoes stabilizers in the sleeves to mirror the traditional attire worn by the working class, offering an authentic feel and historical connection. The straps, inspired by the aerial roots of the monstera, symbolize the deep connections of the Filipino people to their native landscapes and the resilience required to thrive in disparate environments.

Adding to the residency’s unique influence, ChiChai also crafted a fishing-inspired vest and a tulip hat, utilizing a coffee bean bag and fabric scraps. Through these creations, ChiChai not only revisits the themes of identity and resilience found in Filipino culture but also illustrates the innovative spirit of sustainability and adaptation in art.

“The Philippines biggest export is… ourselves. Our skills, our labor, our creativity… our entire beings. The economic system forces Filipinx to look for a “better life” outside the archipelago while colonial thought engrains promises in the American/Western dream. Each time I looked up at this monstera in awe of our shared brethren ties to the tropics I thought of how amazing the Filipinx people are in our ability to adjust — thrive even– in these completely different environments. I’m also reminded that what brought me to Iceland was my own pursuit, my own privilege. I initially felt guilt in that comparison of purposes but this privilege to move freely by choice and not by economic or colonial forces is something I want for all of us. All of us, too, deserve to see the world for the joy of it. I dedicate this filipiniana to the diaspora whose roots are worn on the sleeve and are ready to stabilize and breathe in anew while deeply holding onto where we are truly rooted to.”

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chichai.intheair/

Lydia Carter is a multimedia artist and folk craftsperson based in the UK.Lydia Carter is a multimedia artist and folk craftsperson based in the UK.

During her two months at the Fish Factory, she produced a body of work to reflect Icelandic traditional craft and the natural pigments of the fjord. Lydia’s practice engages in collection and slow process, relying on the resources of the local environment, such as rock, clay, seaweed, and bone.

‘My work aims to connect with layers of time within the landscape, and the role of craft in both industry and survival. I’m interested in the way that an unruly environment informs a culture. I have spent a lot of time walking the heathland in different conditions, trying to become familiar with its demands, and the challenges faced by past generations.

My work here has drawn on a wide range of new skills; historic knitting, scrimshaw, wood carving, and fish gutting. Amongst this, the residency has also opened up the space to experiment with photography, ceramics, and poetry. The experience has been transformative, and it has given me the time to really delve into new mediums. I am so thankful for the space provided by the Fish Factory, and all the inspiring people I have met in these two months.’

Website: https://www.lydiacarter.co.uk/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blue_kanoe_art/

Sarah Devereux aka The Dirt Bird is a multidisciplinary artist, performer, designer and extremely serious messer from Ireland. She has a love for colour, humour, silliness & the surreal. Her work centers around health, mental health, the body & with a good dollop of existential dread.

On residency, she focused on reconnecting with the freedom of creativity, with no goals, definite projects or pressure. With this in mind she did a lot of playing with materials such as pastels, ink, photography, pencil, ceramics and writing. Creating messy notebooks, playful clay objects, obsessing over rocks and writing romantic letters to the fog. Her favourite thing to do while here was to put giant googly eyes on the natural landscape and take photos on film, creating strange characters, perhaps friends of the Huldufólk. These photos will eventually be printed and maybe put together as a zine for what she calls EYES-LAND …do ya get it?

Linktree:  https://linktr.ee/thedirtbird

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedirtbird/

Meet Ólöf Benediktsdóttir, a vibrant and visionary force in the Icelandic creative scene. Based in Reykjavík, Ólöf has cultivated a dynamic career that spans the realms of visual arts, music, and poetry. A graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Icelandic Art Academy, her journey has been marked by a relentless pursuit of artistic evolution and expression.

As a multidisciplinary artist, Ólöf engages with a variety of visual mediums, exploring profound themes such as the interplay between nature, science, and the human experience. Her artworks often reflect a deep connection with the natural world, mirroring the complexity of human emotions and the environment.

In the music sphere, Ólöf is known both as a solo artist and as a key member of the experimental band Svartþoka. In her music she weaves a dreamy and electric soundscape together with finely crafted lyrics inspired by folklore.

Beyond her personal creative endeavors, Ólöf is a committed organizer within Iceland’s grassroots arts scene. She has played a role in organizing events like the Norðanpaunk festival and has been an active participant in initiatives like Stelpur Rokka/Læti, which empower and celebrate female artists.

Ólöf Benediktsdóttir is not just an artist but a catalyst for cultural enrichment, continually pushing the boundaries of what is possible in art and community engagement. Her contributions not only enrich Iceland’s artistic landscape but also inspire a new generation of creators.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/olofbenedikts/

Helen Lee (they/she) is a Queer Asian Chicago-born interdisciplinary artist raised by immigrant parents from South Korea. They received an MFA with a focus in Performance and Film from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a BA in Dance with a minor in Theatre from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. They have been teaching yoga, meditation and mindfulness since 2007. That same year, they formed Momentum Sensorium, a project-based company that has created and choreographed for See Chicago Dance, Out of Site, APIDA Arts Festival, and sometimes in unconventional locations such as lighthouses, train stations, and attics. Much of their work focuses on the senses, death, and the entanglement of light/shadow, joy/grief, celebrating Asian voices and Black and Asian allyship. They have presented works in the US, South Korea, Japan, Germany, Iceland, Finland and Canada. Helen was selected for 2022 Newcity Breakout Artist and 2024 Chicago Dancemakers Forum Lab Artist.

Returning to Iceland in the wintertime was something I didn’t think I could do because I was scared. I was first at the Fish Factory June 2019 working on taxidermy. The abundance of light was magical and wanted it to go on and on. I never wanted to be in the dark. Since my first visit, after losing 9 people in 2 years, I felt ready to welcome in the darkness. Surprisingly, the longer darker days were not as dark as I thought they would be and I found myself longing for more of it. I spent time sitting with myself, not giving myself deadlines or goals. I turned 46. I wrote, I danced, I threw on the wheel, I threw one against the wall, I screamed in the mountains, I saw Aurora. The time I spent with the artists in this residency was special and will hold them and February dear to my heart.

Thank you Helen, and see you again!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/momentumsensorium/

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/momentumsensorium

Martina Pauleová, hailing from Slovakia, joined us in March to expand her artistic practice, which primarily encompasses painting, drawing, and ceramics.

During her residency, she created a piece titled “Face,” which she describes in her own words:
Imagine country like mirror. So our faces are mirroring. I walk,walk,walk and want to see that face. First fjord, bright fjord then mountains, together create lips. More animal face than human. Probably under water mysterious. She needs some strange eyebrows to protect her! I walk and walk,day by day in rainy,snowy, foggy country, and no sign of dangerous warning eyebrows. And then I know, it’s the night filled with all that warm lights of houses, boats, and aurora. Face becomes ready.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keramikamisipi/

Laura Turón is an active Mexican-American artist in the El Paso-Juárez US/Mex borderplex; her multidisciplinary art processes combine concepts of time, belongingness, and inclusion through collaborative work with the community, and non-objective designs that feature mark-making, ephemeral art, art with science, optical illusions, digital art, sculpture, immersive art, and community art installations.

The artist is also the creator of Paradox Traveling Art (2017), a traveling art installation project housed within a converted full-size school bus. The bus functions as an art gallery on wheels. Her most recent projects include a permanent public art sculpture in a roundabout for the city of El Paso, TX, and her project Paradox Immersive Art an immersive art gallery in El Paso, TX.

During her residency, she worked on photographing the Northern Lights and developing an interactive art installation inspired in The movement of the northern Lights.

Website: https://lt-artdesign.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/turonlaura/

Laurie Torres is a composer and musician based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She has spent the last decade working as a session musician, both live and in the studio. More recently, she recorded her first solo album of instrumental music centered around the piano (to be released in 2024).

At the Fish Factory, she worked in Studio Silo with an array of small electronic instruments as well as the piano. From there, she created numerous ambient soundscapes inspired by the view and the surrounding nature, and composed classically oriented pieces on the piano.

Instagram: instagram.com/laurietorres/ and https://www.instagram.com/soundstills/

Shayna Klee (Purple Palace) is a French-American multimedia Artist and musician. She lives and works in Paris, France.

In 2023 Shayna released her first full musical project under the pseudonym “Purple Palace”, giving homage to her early roots and online projects published under the same name. The EP entitled “Tower moments” is an experimentation in pop, spoken word and dark fairytales in French and English.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_purple_palace/

Elia Lombardini is an finnish-italian composer, producer and violinist. Their music moves along the intersection of classical and electronic music creating worlds between maximalism and minimalism. The main tool of their practice is the violin although sometimes heavily effected and manipulated.

At the Fishfactory Elia worked on some new material with their friend Helmi Tikkanen a.k.a Von Pearl and spent time exploring and developing new sounds and compositions for their upcoming album. Also importantly spent considerable time petting Tummi, the dog, permanent resident at the fisfactory and drinking coffee in the delightful kitchen area of the residency.

https://linktr.ee/elialombardini

elialombardini.com

Emma Anne Johnson is an interdisciplinary artist who creates art focusing on valuing a “glitch” – a sudden, usually temporary, irregularity or malfunction of equipment. Glitches, with their inherent imperfections and digital anomalies, offer them a unique lens through which to explore the intersection of technology, human experience, and aesthetics. They experiment with combining trash, technology, and traditional art forms, resulting in a diverse range of creations that include music, sounds, paintings, drawings, videos, sculptures, fashion, and installations.

Their creative process is a continual reflection of their personal experiences. Through their creations, Johnson aims to highlight and challenge the societal structures rooted in our organization of emotions, identity, and social dynamics. Their art encourages both themselves and viewers to confront their biases and preconceptions and to engage in critical reflection and discussion about the subconscious associations on what we value and why. Value a glitch, be a glitch, embrace the glitch.

During my time at the residency, I was able to practice my live performance to prepare for some shows I had coming up. Also, I was able to complete the synth and guitar tracking for 5 new songs! woo! I also spent a lot of time in my sketchbook drawing the beautiful fjords :)

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealemmaj/

Morvern is an illustrator, storyteller and visual artist from Scotland. Her most recent work has seen her exploring her Scandinavian heritage, and diving into the world of folktales and mythology. Primarily working in traditional printmaking, Morvern’s work promotes the use of heritage crafts and manual methods.

I began my residency at the Fish Factory working on early development for a new book; taking inspiration from the surrounding landscape and the relationship between the wild seas and atmospheric skies of Stöðvarfjörður. Between time spent in the studio, I also spent many days hiking around the mountain areas, making field recordings, filling my sketchbook, collecting rocks and looking out for trolls!

In addition, I ended up undertaking a spontaneous ceramics project, after being inspired by the colours and textures of the mossy tussocks which cover the hills above the fjord; a collection of ceramic figures emerged, inspired by the folklore of the Huldufólk from Icelandic mythology.

I relished the sense of creative freedom I had whilst I was at the Factory, and it was wonderful to just explore all the avenues of random ideas I normally have to set aside in everyday life. It was a magical month of creative productivity, and I hope to be back one day!

Website: www.morverngraham.co.uk

Instagram: Instagram

Sarah’s approach to music is characterized by an insatiable curiosity and a fearless willingness to experiment. Her work in the Fish Factory serves as a creative crucible where her classical training and an unbridled passion for innovation converge. Here, she delves into the intricate dance between live music and music production, weaving together diverse genres into a cohesive, vibrant tapestry.

Thank you Sarah! :)

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahlisa_steiner/

I used my time at the Fish Factory to return to my design and ideation processes. Spending time in my sketchbook, making paper maquettes and experimenting in metal to explore germinating ideas. Time spent on process rather than product allowed me to explore, experiment and even try my hand at other media. Seeing and feeling the drama of the Icelandic landscape held me in a constant state of wonder and I reveled in the act of trying to interpret it.

Thank you Erica!

Instagram: ericasbailey

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/esbjewelry/