Reykjavík Grapevine - 09.09.2016, Page 28

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Culture 28
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 14 — 2016
Hafnarfjörður’s Íshús is an impos-
ing white seafront warehouse with
its name emblazoned neatly across its
front in marine blue paint. It stands
out amongst the other industrial
buildings as perhaps a little unusual,
and just a few steps inside this sus-
picion is confirmed. The air smells
of wood dust rather than motor oil
or fish, and people mill around in
paint-splattered overalls between
tall shelves, workspaces and roped-
off studio booths. Some are in the
process of sanding down items of
wooden kitchenware, while others sit
quietly stitching clothing, painting
canvasses, or carrying trays of freshly
glazed ornaments from the kiln room
to their studio to apply the finishing
touches.
We’re met by Anna María Karlsdót-
tir, one of the instigators of the proj-
ect. Anna starts to show us around,
introducing us to various practitio-
ners in all kinds of disciplines, de-
scribing the ones who aren’t present.
She and her husband Óli were the
ones who sparked the regeneration of
Íshús from a disused warehouse into a
thriving studio community of artists,
jewellers, product designers, and mak-
ers of all kinds.
“Óli had this idea in mind for many
years,” she explains. “Then the project
started about four years ago. He's a pro
boat builder, and studying ceramics.
There was a group of women that were
happy to take this step with us, if we
rented a nice space somewhere. Óli
and I would never have done it alone."
Creative hive
The space they found is something of a
gem. The various spaces all have their
own distinctive character, from the
old offices to the light and airy open-
plan first-floor workshops, to vari-
ous hidden-away nooks, and a central
cold-room that seems to cry out to be
used as a gallery.
“The building is an old freezing
plant and fish factory,” explains Anna.
“It was used for that until 2001, then
it had been sitting empty for a while.
A few things opened and closed here,
but nothing stuck. We started with the
space in July 2014, when we had five
hundred square metres, housing ten
work spaces; now we have thirteen
hundred square metres in total.”
As the diversity of the practitioners
increased, so did the range of facili-
ties on offer. “We've seen it grow into
ceramics, woodwork, metal work…
we have a wet room for textiles, kilns,
ventilated spray rooms, and more,”
says Anna. “It's a bit of a hippie com-
munity! Whoever comes in can make
an agreement to share tools.”
This attitude of collectivism fuels
the positive and vibrant atmosphere of
the building. “There are thirty spaces
here now, and they're all open,” Anna
explains. “The concept is an open,
flowing atmosphere—we put empha-
sis on the community in the house, and
run it as a group. We have open houses,
and when we take part in events like
Design March or Fisherman’s Day, it’s
as a group. We go different things like
this across the year.”
Creating space
Íshús feels like a shining example of
a story that’s happening all around
Iceland’s coastline, where creatives
are taking over disused ex-industrial
spaces to create new opportunities for
the communities they serve. In fact,
many of the people operating in Íshús

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GPV.IS/ICEICE
Inside The
Ice House
The thriving creative community
of Hafnarfjörður's Íshús
Words JOHN ROGERS Photos ART BICNICK