Reykjavík Grapevine - 04.03.2016, Page 37

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OUTSIDE
FESTIVAL
By John Rogers – Photo by Art Bicnick
The annual Eyrarrós arts award cer-
emony took place in mid-February
at the Freezer Hostel in Rif, Snæfell-
snes. Locals and artists mingled with
the three finalists, which had been
winnowed down from the 40-odd
art organisations who answered the
open call for entries.
The throng took a tour of the spa-
cious theatre and art facilities that
won the Freezer Hostel the 2015
Eyrarrós award, before gathering
around the stage to hear the 2016
announcement. After a speech from
the local mayor championing the
value of the arts to small commu-
nities, the winner was announced:
Verksmiðjan in Hjalteyri, an ambi-
tious artist-led project that has re-
developed an abandoned herring
factory into a thriving arts hub in
northern Iceland.
It fended off strong competition
from the new Eldheimar volcano
museum in the Westman Islands,
and the Fresh Winds arts festival at
Garður in the southwest. “All three
of the finalists are fantastic proj-
ects,” said Hanna Styrmisdóttir, the
director of Reykjavík Arts Festival,
and a member of the team behind
the prize. “What made the Hjalteyri
Verksmiðjan stand out is firstly that
it’s been running so successfully for
eight years—and it’s an unbelievably
ambitious project. The factory was
standing empty for a long time, and
they’ve given it new life—it’s made
this tiny village a destination in the
summer months. And their pro-
gramme itself is incredibly diverse.
It’s such an interesting thing to do in
a place like that.”
Remote culture
The Eyrarrós award aims to high-
light the invaluable contribution
of creative labour to Iceland’s rural
society. Small post-industrial vil-
lages all around the coast have long
been suffering a drain of citizens,
especially young people. But arts-
oriented initiatives can provide a
much-needed point of focus to these
far-flung communities.
“Last year’s winner, the Freezer
Hostel, is a case in point,” added
Hanna. “As the mayor mentioned in
his speech, people have come to re-
alise that to keep small rural towns
alive, it takes more than just jobs.
In the past, that was enough, but
now, people need more. Addition-
ally, many of the tourists that come
here aren’t interested only in the
landscape, but in the culture of the
people who choose to live in these
remote areas.”
Something to believe in
The director of the Hjalteyri
Verksmiðjan, the smartly dressed
Gústav Geir Bollason, collected the
winner’s bouquet and certificate
with a shy smile. “Our project was
founded by artists,” he said, after-
wards, in thick French-accented
English. “It was an artist’s asso-
ciation that rented the factory. Our
programme is mostly visual arts,
in a very broad sense that often in-
cludes sound and music in connec-
tion with the art. Until now, our pro-
gramme has been May-October—we
run a residency, workshops with art
schools, and a new exhibition each
month. But we want to expand into
the winter—that work is underway
now.”
The Eyrarrós award’s patron is
Dorrit Moussaieff, the first lady of
Iceland, who was absent from the
ceremony due to illness. Neverthe-
less, winning Eyrarrós is a stamp
of approval that’s every bit as help-
ful as the prize money. “The award
helps us a lot,” says Gústav. “For ex-
ample, we have to renew the rental
contract for the factory annually,
which makes it hard to plan for the
next year. Winning Eyrarrós helps us
to convince people that what we’re
doing is more than just ‘useless art.’
It helps them to realise our project
is worthwhile, and something to be-
lieve in.”
SHARE: gpv.is/eyrarros
Art Matters
Ambitious Hjalteyri
arts factory wins
Eyrarrós award