The residency at the Fish Factory gave me the time and space to connect with myself and the landscape around me. The unprecedented time and isolation acted as a lens on feelings of melancholy and loneliness, two themes current in my work.

I felt a connection with the landscape. Iceland is a land torn asunder at its centre, resulting in two plates drifting apart. I especially sympathised with the glaciers and their visible traces; the fjords. I thought in geological time and used geological time as a metaphor for my own sloth.

I tend to work in oil, but here I worked mainly in pencil and also in video. The shading required in a pencil drawing is very labour intensive and slow, mirroring the slowly grinding landscape.
I didn’t make massive amounts of work whilst in Iceland, but rather learned about myself, and found a footing and a route in my practice.

Thank you Arthur, it was a pleasure having you here, we will miss your humour. Until the next time

Is an Artist, Painter, and Environmentalist from Ontario Canada, who stayed with us at the residency from April to August.

“As a landscape painter, and lover of nature, Iceland has been quite the paradise, I had no shortage of inspiration. My experiences here will without a doubt continue to influence myself and my work for the rest of my life.”

Look at all the amazing work she has made while she has been here:

Thank you so much Hannah, we loved having you these last five months and will miss your energy in the space. Till the next time. Check out more of her work via her instagram @hannah_brown_art and on her website www.hannahbrownart.ca.

Hatiye Garip is an illustrator, comic artist and designer based in Istanbul. She likes to draw birds, flowers and ordinary moments. She is interested in visual storytelling, accessible illustrations and publications. In July, she spent her time at the Fish Factory to warm up for a new comic project.

“Recently, I’ve been working on sequential art from short stories to long stories. I try to make my comics accessible for blind and low vision readers. I started a new personal project called “Hidden People” (Working title) at the Fish Factory. The story is inspired by Icelandic folk tales. It tells a story of three hidden people and their double lives in comic book format. It’s in the draft stage for now, and it seems happy with it. The first finalised pages and ambient sounds will be displayed at a comic festival in October 2022 in Brno, Czech Republic.”

“Austurland (East Iceland) has given me very rare moments that I cannot experience anywhere else, like being at peace with doing nothing, having a bright mind without thinking about anything, living slowly and simply, sitting on a big rock and writing some dialogues for my story.”

“During my residency, I spent most of my time going on long walks, observing the environment and sketching for my project. I focused on writing my script, doing visual research, collecting texture samples with the help of Brenda and Alfredo, recording and editing natural sounds to use later for audio descriptions with Franklin’s support, and experimenting with screen printing to inspire my illustrations thanks to Gillian. Besides, I didn’t hesitate to add the naughty, curious and wise questions and conversations of Phoebe, Pauline and Shanya to my story. I would like to thank Vinny and Una for creating this lovely, inspiring space and everyone who has contributed to my short journey.”

“As the locals of Stöðvarfjörður say, there are things we cannot see, and believing in them is as good as believing in ourselves.”

More of Hatiye’s work hatiyegarip.com  or on her instagram.com/hatiyegarip

rumu acts as a bridge to the dreamworld to spread compassion among all sentient beings… 

Check out their work on their website  https://www.rumu.space/

Thank you rumu.

The Swiss photo duo Rita Kappenthuler and Nathan Federer joined us in June to capture the ever-changing Icelandic sky and the much-expected midnight sun.

“Exploring our visual languages through the old, almost “original” camera technique of the camera obscura has been driving us for the past five years. We often define travel time as studio time. ´Travelling´ from the darkroom to the immediate surroundings of the studio in St. Gallen as well as travelling with the whole photo lab to Sicily, Calabrien, Trieste, Croatia and now to Iceland, Fishfactory in Stödvarfjördur. We show the technique of the camera obscura in rimless exposed, mirror-inverted, negative black and white images. Our self-made cameras all have a fixed focal length and fixed exposure hole diameters, which in term requires direct proximity to the object. Image formats are decided in the photo lab when the photo paper is loaded. Our possibilities in box transport as well as in the laboratory result in the currently largest possible picture format of 60x90cm and the format 24x30cm, which we use most frequently.”

“The Fishfactory gave us the opportunity to set up a darkroom within a day. There we could use our large format camera and the large photo papers. In addition, there was a very uncomplicated water installation that was quickly implemented thanks to the help of Vinny and Franklin and met our requirements. This was a very helpful support for us and thanks to the technical interest of the two, a constant exchange about technical possibilities and our work developed. In addition, we were able to find and set up our wish for an empty 15-meter-long wall to hang up the already exposed sheets. For us, it was an incredibly practical, direct and uncomplicated approach to have Una, Vinny and Franklin support us in our project! We were able to really enjoy the whole month and implement our Iceland sun project!! A big thank you to the whole team. We would like to come again!”

Thank you Rita & Nathan!

Sandra Zanetti is a creative practitioner combining independent research, audiovisual compositions, and writing. Their work deconstructs the complexities of underlying systems, stories and ideologies shaped by capital and technology. Zanetti weaves together physical compositions which utilise her unique visual language, woven from a variety of world cultures, iconographies, and socioeconomic theories, examining moments of destruction and innovation throughout history, in conjunction with the story of history forged by the Digital Revolution.

At the factory, Sandra has been working on a few different projects. The first is a large ongoing project that considers the manner in which history is told and retold by creating a parafunctional, post-anthropocentric society. This work examines the effects of the current post-truth state combined with the simultaneous information technology and biotechnical revolutions alongside ecological collapse. At the factory, Sandra has composed sonic compositions, written a satirical podcast, and created the concept art which will be used to set the physical scene of the installation.

The second body of work Sandra has been conducting employs Artificial Intelligence as a collaborator to explore the concept of prophetic fulfilment. In addition to these projects, the artist has been spending time mastering Pure Data, Touch Designer and programming applications.

“My time here at the factory has been a gift. I’ve been spending a lot of my time feeling focused and inspired by everyone around me. I’ve spent a lot of time meditating on the visual and sonic information present in the landscape of Stöðvarfjörður, so this has really inspired my recent tracks and has set the scene for my upcoming installations. This residency has been crucial for me in a personal sense as well, since I’m at a pivotal point in both my personal life and within the confines of my practice. There’s this certain type of peaceful starkness here, which has really been conducive to my health, and my practice. I’ve been telling my friends it feels like I’m on a space station since there’s no real sense of time or societal pressure here. It’s definitely helped me clear my mind, process the last few years, and set up for the next stage of my work’s evolution.”

Thank you, Sandra <3

Eva Jörgensen is a medical anthropologist and in June she spent her time at the Factory working on a PhD on the impact of Covid-19 on adolescents in Iceland.

I work with all kinds of data but am currently working on transcribing and analysing interviews with adolescents and professionals working with them. My approach is identifying the cultural idioms in how we express both distress and resilience and I use a right-based lens when it comes to the position of minors in the pandemic to see how their rights have been upheld. I just published my first article during my stay at the Fish Factory, entitled The voices of children and adolescents during COVID-19: a critical review of methods. So, I’m actually not an artist but an academic but I believe the two overlap as academic writing, especially in the social sciences, entails quite a bit of creativity: analysis, theme building, and of course putting the text together to present your work is a creative process in itself.

My time here as an academic has been well spent: I have a sizeable desk to work from in an open space where I can get inspired through conversations with the artists and draw up my analysis on the board by my desk. I also have a good working station in the house I’m staying in when I want a quiet work day with a nice view of the mountain. Una and Vinny, and their team members Nika and Franklin, have been most helpful and the local people have been generous with their time to give me an insight into the pandemic’s impact on the Eastfjords. Coming here has felt like having a little tight-nit co-op where we work, and support each other, but don’t forget to have some fun!

Thank you, Eva :)

Art professor and artist Kendra Larson spent a good two weeks with us in June where she was stunned by the ever-present daylight. This made her re-think the effects this has on her work as a studier of landscapes, nature and all things mystical. “The Sagas, ice, dramatic landscapes, and northern lights found in Iceland make it a good fit for me. Recently, I have been painting ice, fire, moths, and stars. I am intuitively drawn to these subjects. I hope to use my residency to hike and develop this imagery further, and explore its symbolism.”

At the Fish Factory, she focused her attention on both the conceptual and physical development of her art. The solitude and focus she experienced at the Fish Factory helped her better understand her affinity for such landscapes. Specifically, she created new paintings, tried marbling, and wrote daily journal entries. Hiking around the fjord and volunteering wherever she could also helped add depth to her work. Kendra engaged other artists to share as much as she shared herself.

Our interview with Kendra:

Thank you, Kendra! :)

Jessica Smoleroff is an artist and educator based out of Tallahassee, Florida. With a focus on the figure, her paintings explore sexuality, gender, and the body’s relationship to the environment. She spent May with us creating and sharing her painted hybrid creatures.

“Iceland persists. Fecund cod, densely furred dogs, and strong women have adapted to the brutal conditions of a hostile climate. My Fish Factory paintings, made on paper with gouache, acrylic, and oil, capture moments of abrupt evolution. Hybridized creatures, made of breasts, fish heads, dogs’ heads, and scales are imagined biological responses to rapid climate change, and misogynistic American legislation.”

 Jessica´s interview:

 Thank you Jessica :)

Jody Servon is an artist, activist, educator and curator. Her work has ranged from multimedia installations to public participatory projects with personal experiences always serving as the catalyst. At the Fish Factory, she worked on multiple projects, giving herself space and time to inhabit being an artist.

“My work often focuses on sharing people’s lived experiences, histories and memories through participatory projects. Having long stretches of time dedicated to my creative practice in Stöðvarfjörður was a luxury for me after two years of intense parenting and working during a pandemic. Being at Fish Factory enabled me to focus intently on a forthcoming collaborative book project, create a 3D sketch of an installation, continue my efforts advocating for gender equity, and begin a new series of drawings. I accomplished much more than I imagined possible and even had the prime minister take part in my project My Time is Valuable! At the end of my stay, I feel refreshed from walks in the magical landscape, spending time with fellow artists and residency staff from around the world, and doing what I wanted to when I wanted to.”

See Jody´s interview here:

Thank you Jody!

Heather is an Australian artist and papermaker who joined us at the factory in May. Here she explored a project she called Stone Stories, about stones as life forms which hold the stories of millennia.“It was great to be able to stay focused on one theme without distractions and explore it at this artist residency through using a variety of paper and print mediums and even experimenting with ceramics.

Stodvarfjördur is an amazing landscape where the mountains dominate the skyline. I discovered that the townsfolk love stones as well and collect them from the mountains and fjord shorelines to carefully place in their gardens. These appear as benevolent nature spirits, like additional family and community members, each with their own distinctive form and presence. I knew about Petra’s stone museum but was astonished at her story of climbing the mountains with her children and grandchildren to bring home these jewelled treasures and share her love of stones and nature with others.”

“During my one month at the residency, I experimented with cyanotype prints where the stones themselves become the negative /positive images. I started with the idea of bearing witness to the rock avalanches caused by increased rain through climate change. I ended up experiencing an intense relationship of stones as exquisite life forms, from the small pebbles you collect to hold in your hand to the majestic mountains. Where there is a love of nature, there is respect for the interconnectedness of all things, human and other than human. I experienced this to its full extent at this artist residency and would like to thank Una and Vinnie for the space to explore my art in this new direction. This project is supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW.”

More on Heather´s work: heathermatthew.com

You can listen to Heather´s interview here:

Thank you Heather!

Sandra Kruisbrink, a Dutch artist whose work is inspired by nature and specifically trees, spent the month of May with us in Stodvarfjordur. The lack of tree scenery made her explore the East fjord mountains which she encapsulated with her signature style.

“Drawing in my studio, I try to evoke the silence or emptiness I have encountered. My photographs are the key to this experience and are the basis for my drawings. As I work, I filter the photographic images. I use my memory, edit the photo, unclothe the image – sometimes to the extent that it has almost vanished and only a shadow remains. I search for the limits of what can be left out. Almost meditatively, in an endless number of lines, dots and minimal marks, I work my way back to my memories. Silence and inaccessibility thus become the subject.”

Check Sandra´s interview here:

Thank you Sandra!

Taneli Törmä and Caroline McSweeney joined us at the Factory in May. Taneli is a Finnish choreographer, performer, and Artistic Director of Location X dance company and Caroline McSweeney is an Irish theatre director and Artistic Director of Locus Theater company. With the help of sound designer Esa Mattila they engaged with the local fishing community and collected research for their performance project, Dance of the Fisherman.

The project is a site-specific performance created for Nordic harbours for the Passage Festival in Helsingør Denmark 2022, with further plans to take it to Sweden, Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Ireland. This is an imagistic walking tour  – with choreography and images drawn from the physical world of fishing and hunting unheard stories from the leisure to the working fisherman/woman they create a universal interactive performance.

“It was an inspiring opportunity for us to stay one month in Stöðvarfjörður. To take the time for researching our upcoming site-specific performance called Dance of the Fisherman, which will be created later on for different European fishing harbours. In our residency, we created dance and sound material and started to speak about the dramaturgy of the performance. We were lucky to meet up with local fishermen and their families, who we could interview to record stories and local traditions, which will be used in the performance. The community history, culture, and local fishing habits will affect the outcome of the performance, which will have its premiere later on in the Passage Festival, Denmark in July 2022. The final result will be an imagistic walking tour, where the audience is physically drawn into the world of the fisherman.”

“We were happy to share our residency time with other artists from other arts fields, who inspired us and gave us constructive feedback from our working progress presentation, which we organised for the local community at the of our residency.”

Taneli & Caroline´s interview:

Yasemin is a Turkish U.S. based visual artist. During her stay in Iceland in April, she worked on a project involving drawing, painting and written elements.

As I spent more time in the factory surrounded by talented artists who all bring a unique voice to the table, I felt lucky to practice and live amongst them in the enchanting site of Stodvarfjordur. It took a lot of trial and error to settle on what I wanted to do at the studio and how to do it. In the end, I took a more improvisational approach to organize my ideas visually by layering, pushing and pulling elements of the drawings, and ended up with collages and realistic renderings of a variety of images.

The landscape in the east fjords of Iceland, as many come to find out for themselves is magnificent and ever-changing. I wanted to collect certain moments from the rhythms of nature such as the glow of a full moon, the ripples at a given moment on the sea, and ice as it melts. Drawing helped me understand these scenes intimately, and reconstruct them with additional elements such as symbols, letters, and sceneries that these moments brought to mind.

Yasemin´s interview:

Thank you Yasemin!<3

Sarah Ingraham is a Brooklyn based painter and textile artist. Her work is influenced by a background in rug making and wallpaper design. Combining her knowledge of art history with the tradition of still life, she investigates and reinterprets ancient motifs through colour to create a more contemporary palette. During her time at the residency, she created a series of three, large scale still life paintings on canvas. The wonderfully stark backdrop of Iceland acted as inspiration and encouraged even more intensity and exploration of colour in the work.

“As an artist who typically works out of my home, the fish factory was great. It gave me the opportunity to travel, be somewhere beautiful and new, and still have the freedom to maintain my usual schedule. I spent my days alternating between hiking and painting, which I think is very good for any creative brain.”

Zoë Power is a multi-disciplinary artist, working in the fields of illustration, print and typography. She spent her time at the Factory cutting out lino and printing in our print workshop. She made multiple prints of her signature style figures. Graduating from Multidisciplinary Print Media and with a love of craft and typography, Zoë studied traditional signwriting and frequently works with individuals and creative teams to make their businesses look more beautiful.

 Currently, Zoë is involved in several community arts projects across the UK, working with local residents and organisations to bring art to the wider community.

Zoe´s interview:

See more of her work here: https://www.zoepower.com/zoe-power-home

Thank you Zoe!<3

Daisy Brown is a multidisciplinary artist from London, UK, specialising in cameraless photography. During her residency stay in April, she spent time using sustainable chemical processes with as minimal labour as possible to document light and immediate reactions to space. Being interested in light, which is in abundance this time of year in East Iceland, Daisy documented the fleeting movements and refractions bouncing around the Fish Factory.

“I spent my time at the factory chaotically juggling idea after idea, energised by the artists, the malleability of the factory to suit my needs, and the opportunity to have dedicated time towards my practice. During the month, I nurtured techniques and skills I hadn’t had the time to explore throughout my degree, producing lumen prints, pinhole cameras, DIY developers, fixatives (using seawater from the fjord), pigment from minerals (skillfully taught to me by Ayelet) and ceramics, alongside lino, mono and collagraph printing.

I found myself with the same fascination as most creatives who come here; I was constantly perplexed by the landscape and ecology, wanting to collect, learn and explore. As a result, a lot of my time was spent outside, going on long walks and cycles, attempting to map Stöðvarfjörður. I would gather moss, minerals and anything I could find, trying to piece together artefacts in an attempt to understand further where I was living and weave these into the new processes I was learning. 

The Fish Factory is an incredibly healing, reinvigorating space which offers freedom to explore your practice within a bustling environment alongside other creatives. It was a huge privilege to be part of the residency program and be given time, access, and the opportunity to slow down and reconnect with nature and my practice.”

Daisy´s interview:

Thank you Daisy!<3

Eliza is a London based artist who spent two months with us at the Fish Factory. “While living in Stöðvarfjörður, I have been working on a project about my personal relationship with world-building, escapism and healing through making, while exploring different possibilities of picture-making. Using primarily painting and drawing, I have become committed to bringing a narrative of vulnerability and gentleness into an art world which can feel unfeeling and cold to me. My relocation to Iceland coincided with a realisation about the importance of slowing down, both in my studio practice and in the practice of healing. I spent my first few weeks at the Fish Factory focusing on only drawing and began to observe that the more I drew, the more of this world which I was building, revealed itself to me. 

I have been given the space to start working on a short 2D animation, Carescapes, taking influences from Icelandic Folklore and world-building video games. My practice throughout my degree has been disrupted by the pandemic. Restricted access to studios has meant students have been made to adapt to domestic and digital spaces. My time at the Fish Factory has allowed me to make use of facilities, try processes I haven’t had the chance to yet, and be involved in a studio culture outside of University. I am so grateful for this opportunity, I hope I’ll be back soon!”  

Eliza Moore is a multidisciplinary artist based in London, UK. Currently, in her third year at Central Saint Martins, the pandemic has disrupted the majority of their Fine Arts degree. Restricted access to studio spaces has meant students have been made to adapt to domestic and digital spaces. During her time at the Fish Factory, Eliza Moore worked on a project exploring her personal relationship between queerness, escapism, and world-building, while exploring different possibilities of picture-making. They have used their time at the Factory to slow down their studio practice. Moore’s work holds an array of signs and symbols influenced by video games, Icelandic folk tales, and witchcraft.

Thank you Eliza <3

Ayelet is an Israeli artist who came back to Iceland to rediscover her art form. Staying here in April, she embraced the Icelandic nature and made her own stone pigments to paint with.

I wanted to join the art residency to find my voice as an artist, a woman, and as a human in this world. Before coming here, I felt as if I was a fraud, not a real artist. I didn’t study art (besides my major in high school), I am not a professional artist either, and I didn’t create for a long time. I wanted to prove to myself I could do it.

Likewise, I chose to create my own pigments made out of stones, and minerals I foraged in nature. The process was long and so little material came out of it. It made me appreciate the work even further.

It took time for me to settle and realise what I wanted to paint, but it eventually clicked. Photography played a significant role in my day today. I took pictures of the ever-changing climate of East Iceland: the surrounding mountains, trees and the sea. It became my muse. I found my place with these amazing artists who accepted me as I am and as my art is. This experience taught me that I never had to find my voice in the first place, Just the courage to say – I am who I am and I’m an artist.

Thank you, Ayelet <3