Reykjavík Grapevine - 23.05.2014, Blaðsíða 59

The festival director Hanna Styrmis-
dóttir arrives at just the same time as I
do, smiling and offering a whistle-stop
tour of the building’s rooms and hall-
ways, many of which are adorned with
photographs of performances that have
taken place in recent years. Behind
each door are smiling faces, ringing
phones, and the sound of fingers tap-
ping furiously at keyboards—the place
is buzzing, with the 2014 festival just a
week away.
It’s the second time Hanna has
helmed the event. "I took the job in Oc-
tober 2012,” she explains, as we settle
down for coffee around a meeting table.
“I didn't inherit a complete programme,
which was unusual for a festival of this
size. So I had this opportunity to put my
mark on it from the beginning. It was
both great and challenging, because
I couldn’t just quickly put together a
lineup—it has to be meaningful and co-
herent."
A Boost From A
Russian Benefactor
The festival has a long history, hav-
ing been founded in 1969 with the in-
augural event following a year later.
Vladimir Ashkenazy, a Russian-born
conductor and pianist and the organ-
isation's honorary president, was living
in Iceland after having married an Ice-
lander. Ashkenazy became interested
in establishing a classical music festi-
val, coincidentally at the same time as
The Nordic House had been built. Its
first director got involved, and the idea
of an inclusive, cross-discipline festival
of the arts was born.
"In the context of Icelandic society
then, it made perfect sense,” Hanna says.
"There was very little culture on offer
here at that time and the role of festivals
then was to fulfil every cultural need that
the population might have. It was a de-
velopment of a rural festival in that way."
But Reykjavík Arts Festival had
the boon of its internationally known
benefactor who boosted its profile and
enabled the development of a star-
studded programme. “Vladimir's in-
volvement changed what was possible,”
Hanna says. "From the beginning, the
ambition was amazing. The first festi-
val staged performances by both Jac-
queline Du Pre and Led Zeppelin. To
me that's the most interesting thing
about the festival—the extraordinary
diversity that it represents."
Maintaining An
Expansive Approach
This spirit has lived on through the
years with the Reykjavík Arts Festival
continuing to foster an expansive ap-
proach, combining a diverse range of
art, theatre, dance and music, with a
focus on creative fusion and crossover.
This broad remit, combined with an ex-
tended month-long timeframe, makes
space for ideas that connect many dif-
ferent art organisations and gives the
festival the heft to shepherd large-scale
projects, many of which are created es-
pecially for the festival.
"We often commission new work
and help produce it,” Hanna explains.
"It takes financial commitment and
we work closely with the artists. We
want to be serious in our support for
new work. We often take the first step,
contacting people and telling them
we're interested in working with them;
then we see whether it's something
for the near future, or further off. We
find ways to fund the work, via grants,
sponsorship, partnerships and our own
funds."
It’s not all one-way traffic, however,
with many artists pitching projects or
applying via open submissions. “Hun-
dreds of artists apply each year,” Hanna
says, "and that’s a very important door
to keep open. It's important to keep a
flow of new ideas coming in."
Being Creative Is
Not Just A Lifestyle
After the financial crash of 2008, the
festival took a big hit and today oper-
ates on a fraction of its former budget.
But Hanna makes a strong case for
funding the arts, even in times of finan-
cial hardship.
"There is a reason that culture is
funded,” she asserts. “Even in the United
States, with their huge art marketplace,
there are major cul-
ture funds. Being
creative is not only
a lifestyle, it's also a
survival strategy—
solving problems,
adapting, evolving.
Creativity is not
just about decora-
tion, or to make life
more fun—it’s the
foundation for ev-
erything else. So
we fund the arts
here, and we should
continue to do so.
I don't see the dif-
ference between
hiring a doctor or
a parliamentarian,
and hiring an artist to create culture. Just
like we’re funding health care for when
something goes wrong, we’re also fund-
ing independent thought.”
With training in visual arts, Hanna
has also worked as a curator, doing a
stint in gallery education that left her
with a strong desire to help articulate
the arts to a wide audience.
“I believe that no matter how com-
plex a work of art is, and how alien it
may seem to someone who isn't inti-
mately involved with it, there is a way
to make it accessible,” she says. “It
doesn't mean simplifying anything—it
just means making the extra effort to
communicate. It's important to me that
we don't maintain the idea that art is
just for a small part of society. It's not by
the few, and it's not for the few either.”
Remaining Dedicated
To The City
The festival’s dedication to connect-
ing with the city has helped capture a
largely Icelandic audience of between
30–35,000 people each year, most of
whom attend the free events. This year it
will once again present to Reykjavík new
work by choirs, composers, artists, danc-
ers, writers and musicians both from Ice-
land and around the world.
“The open events draw most of our
guests—when our
funds are cut it inhib-
its our ability to pro-
duce open events. I
take this role really se-
riously,” Hanna says.
“We're putting for-
ward this programme
in all sincerity, we
really stand by each
and every event, and
we want to do our
best to communicate
what the artist is do-
ing. We can’t control
the audience's expe-
rience—but we can
do our best to help
people think about
what they might see,
and what they might enjoy. Some events
are just a lovely evening, some are very
complicated and challenging, and some
might stay with you for the rest of your
life.”
Nestled between two fancy restaurants on Lækjargata is
an impressive white house that overlooks the town pond,
with a castellated tower called “Gimli." It’s oddly discreet
for such a grand building, semi-obscured by trees, and
marked only with a small silver plaque. But it’s not an-
other up-market eatery—it’s the warren of white-cube
offices that house the Reykjavík Arts Festival team.
Not
Finished
Reykjavík Arts Festival
celebrates the arts as a
living process
Words by John Rogers
Photo by Nanna Dís
“I don't see the differ-
ence between hiring a
doctor or a parliamen-
tarian, and hiring an
artist to create culture.”
10%
Each year the festival attracts
around 10% of the nation
Q&A's
A bunch of great people
doing stuff
By Lani Yamamoto
Guðrún Lilja
Gunnlaugsdóttir
In Your Hands: three-dimen-
sional creation and technique
The theme of this year's Reykjavik
Arts Festival is "Not Finished",
referring to the continual nature
of the artistic process. That said,
how do you know when a work is
finished?
Work is a continuous circle. You can
always make improvements, add
knowledge, or ask more questions.
You might decide to end a project for
some reason but that doesn’t mean it
is finished.
Can you describe your project/
exhibition/performance in seven
words or less?
Creative minds, visual process,
uncertain outcome. (Or: A bunch of
great people doing stuff).
Are there any hidden gems left in
Reykjavík?
Yes, the ones you see simply by
changing your perspective.
Sverrir Guðjónsson:
IMA NOW: What is the sound
of silk?
Can you describe your project/
exhibition/performance in seven
words or less?
THE PRIMAL SCREAM OF LIFE.
What areas of overlap/intersec-
tion in life most interest you?
What areas of absence?
Working with opposites can be
exciting because of the energy and
electricity that is sometimes cre-
ated. This is directly connected to
important areas of absence, which in
my mind, are silence and meditation.
Where the thinking process gives
way to the awareness of our breath.
If money, time, and the physical
laws of nature were no object,
what would your dream project
be?
Dream no small dream! For every
artistic project it is important not to
be disturbed by money, time, or the
physical laws of nature.
Continues on page 6
3The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 06 — 2014