Reykjavík Grapevine - 14.10.2018, Síða 40

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The Art House Of
Patreksfjörður
A new cultural outpost in a remote
Westfjords town
Words: John Rogers Photo: Timothée Lambrecq
Info
Visit Húsið on Eyrargata in
Patreksfjörður, and see the events
and exhibition programme at www.
husid-workshop.com.
The harbour area of Westfjords
fishing town Patreksfjörður is
a small tangle of streets lined
with dripping warehouses and
industrial buildings. But, inside an
unassuming former line-baiting
and storage unit, something new
is stirring—a multi-
purpose cultural space
called Húsið.
J u l i e G a s i g l i a
a n d A r o n I n g i
Guðmundsson are the
young couple behind
t he projec t . A f ter
a period l iv ing in
London, they decided
the big city life was
not for them. As they
sought to relocate, they
realised Reykjavík’s
o u t o f c o n t r o l
p r o p e r t y m a r k e t
w a s pr o h i bit i v e l y
ex pensive, so they
widened their search to include all
of Iceland. That’s when a property
in Patreksfjörður caught their eye.
“We saw this this big wooden
house was on sale at a really
intriguing price,” says Julie. “It had
a view across the fjords and looked
really dreamy, so we decided to take
a look. We came in April 2017, and
decided to buy it and give it a try.”
Open house
After the move, the two quickly
turned one room into a workshop
for hosting art events. “It was a
way for us to start
something,” says
Aron Ingi. “We
started to get a
feel for the people
and start getting
to know them,
and then we expanded into this
current building.”
The new harbourside venue
enabled the pair to evolve Húsið into
a multi-purpose space containing a
gallery, coffee and art objects shop,
and a co-working space, with an
open-house atmosphere. Since
opening, they’ve already hosted
a Stelpur Rokka workshop, and
several exhibitions of video art,
photography and drawings, which
drew a healthy interest from the
residents of the town. “We want it
to be a social place, where people
can meet, see something, and
mingle,” says Aron Ingi.
Old life, new life
The two have found settling into
Westfjords life to be an interesting
process. They’ve attended social
clubs, and found jobs in the
com mu n it y—A ron Ing i i s a
freelance journalist who also works
at the local kindergarten, and Julie
is continuing her work as a graphic
designer, including work for local
companies.
Húsið is a passion project that
occupies their spare time. “We
wanted to bring
a little bit of what
we used to have to
Patreksfjörður,”
s a y s J u l i e .
“ S o m e t h i n g I
really love about
being here is that I meet people
and do things I’d never have done
any where else,” she
continues. “I have a
friend who’s 60 and
we knit together. That
w o u l d n e v e r h a v e
happened in Reykjavík.
I think it’s enriching—
when you’re surrounded
by your peers, you live
in a bubble. Here, you
have to break out of your
comfort zone.”
Julie and Aron Ingi
have plans to keep the
exhibition programme
going, and to keep
building their audience
and developing the
project. “We have the programme
booked up until November, with
some interesting lectures, and we’ll
be changing the exhibition every
four weeks,” says Julie. “Because
there hasn’t been a place like this
here before, we want the shows to
be accessible, and also to be true
to who we are. Hopefully we can
evolve what we put on further down
the line.”
“We wanted to bring
a little bit of what
we used to have to
Patreksfjörður.”
Making Patreksfjörður harbour great again
Various Events
Friday August 10th
REYKJAVÍK PRIDE
'Stella í Orlofi' Party Screening!
20:00 Bíó Paradís
Icelandic Sagas: The Greatest Hits
20:15 Harpa
Plan-B Art Festival
Various Times, Borgarnes
My Voices Have Tourettes
21:00 The Secret Celler
Reykjavík Pride Parade
14:00 Sæbraut/Faxastígur
How To Become Icelandic In
60 Minutes
19:00 Harpa
Kinky Carnival
22:00 Hard Rock Café
Pride Party: Miss Gloria Hole / Elín Ey
/ Rebecca Hidalgo & More!
18:00 Geiri Smart
Saturday August 11th
REYKJAVÍK PRIDE
Firework Show!
23:00 Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon
Pride Party With Páll Óskar
23:00 Gamla Bíó
Reykjavík Food Festival
16:00 Skólavörðustígur
Plan-B Art Festival
Various Times, Borgarnes
How To Become Icelandic In
60 Minutes
19:00 Harpa
Sunday August 12th
Chess Tournament
14:00 Árbær Open Air Museum
Guided Tour In English
11:00 National Museum Of Iceland
Continiued on page 43
The gallery is also a social space
i8 Gallery
Tryggvagata 16
101 Reykjavík
info@i8.is
t: +354 551 3666
www.i8.is
SOE Kitchen 101
Hosted by Marshall Restaurant+Bar