Reykjavík Grapevine - 13.07.2012, Page 22

22
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 10 — 2012
Words
melkorka licea
Photo
alísa Kalyanova
Björt Sigfinnsdóttir is a busy wom-
an. Between releasing her first solo
album, creating an adult colour-
ing book and managing a unique
festival in Iceland, the girl ‘ain’t
no slouch’ as my father would say.
We met up with her to discuss the
upcoming arts festival LungA—a
weeklong artistic invasion of the
tiny town of Seyðisfjörður.
WHY LUNGA?
As one of the four founders of Lun-
gA, what inspired you to create the
festival?
We started the festival because we
felt that there was not enough creative
output from young people on the east
side of the country, and we wanted to
broaden the cultural horizon for them.
The young people growing up there
didn’t have as many opportunities to
learn and express themselves artisti-
cally as the youngsters in Reykjavík,
and we wanted to change that.
Why Seyðisfjörður?
Well, my mother, ‘Mama LungA,’ and I
are from Seyðisfjörður so it just kind of
happened here.
It has definitely put the city on the
map for something new and unique.
The town’s culture has been growing
for the last decade and we have been
a vital part of establishing that. It has
also encouraged people originally from
Seyðisfjörður to come back again for
the week. I really don’t think there is
anyone who wouldn’t want LungA to be
held in Seyðisfjörður.
WHAT LUNGA?
So what happens exactly?
Prior to the event anyone between the
ages of 16 and 30 can sign up for one
of the workshops on offer. The entire
festival is a weeklong process and the
workshops vary in terms of what is ex-
plored. Usually each workshop focus-
es on a topic or technique to explore
through a specific medium, and then
on Saturday they end with a big final
show. There is no set agenda for how
each workshop should function, and
therefore whatever is brought to the
table can emerge.
What are the festival’s main objec-
tives?
The main objective, I would say, is to
collect creative people and provide
them with a platform to unfold their
creative sides both individually and col-
lectively. My job is to make sure that
those platforms are strong enough, but
still open enough, for participants to
explore themselves and their surround-
ings freely and comfortably. LungA is a
place to express yourself, to meet other
like-minded people, and to learn and
develop from those interactions.
HOW LUNGA?
How many participants are in-
volved?
It varies from year to year depending on
how many workshop leaders there are
and how many people they are ready
to take in. This year is quite big; there
will be approximately 120 to 150 partici-
pants, which is almost too big. It’s hard
to find a place for all those people to
sleep—that’s the main challenge we are
facing now. On the other hand, it also
provides me with energy to do it—that
so many people are interested and we
also have quite a lot of people on the
waiting list.
LungA grew a lot the first seven
years, starting with only 20 partici-
pants and now having grown to 120.
In 2007, we had the most participants,
totalling 130 people from seven differ-
ent countries. But since then we have
been trying to hold it down because it
was a little bit too much, and we don’t
actually want to become bigger. We are
afraid it would take away the unique-
ness and intimacy of the experience,
and we don’t want to lose that.
CREATE LUNGA
During my experience at LungA last
summer, I noticed an immediate fa-
milial ‘stemning’ or ‘vibe’…
That’s the intimacy that I was referring
to earlier, which I don’t want to lose. It
has a lot to do with the location of the
festival; for the last decade the town
has been raised in this weird artistic at-
mosphere and has been, well I wouldn’t
say forced, but gently asked to open
their arms. You just go there and feel
this acceptance from the local people
and you kind of get forced to adapt to
it, which creates this warm open feel-
ing that we don’t want to trample on by
bringing too many people.
What sets this festival apart from
the others?
Most of the festivals in Iceland are mu-
sic festivals and we are not just that.
We are a festival that celebrates all art
forms. Our main focus is on creating
together—on collaboration. Most of the
festivals that I have heard of are about
attending and enjoying what is served
to you, while LungA is about attending
and participating in what is being cre-
ated. You are here to get input, but also
to contribute output, which is exhaust-
ing but also inspiring. We ultimately
want everyone to go home and con-
tinue being creative.
How do you define a successful
LungA?
Success is solely defined by the indi-
vidual, but for me it’s successful if ev-
eryone leaves with a smile on their face.
It’s really hard to explain in words what
LungA is, because it’s so amazing to
experience in person.
Art | Festival
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