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Iceland, The story so far
In 2008-2009, a small group of students began a new interdisciplinary Natural Resource Management Masters in the Westfjords of Iceland. The programme was being offered as a rural development initiative and has gone from strength to strength since its inception over 10 years ago.
Following the course, a creative project was borne in partnership with local friends, the land and sea, and three or four special souls who played ever so nicely together. The project has managed grants to bring artists and volunteers to the region’s wildest quarters, mapped some forgotten mountain routes, restored fallen cairns, planted native trees and facilitated deep exploration of self in relation to our shared ecology.
“Insistent ideas, dreams, listening for the edge. The place where we go, time and again, to make real those yearnings, and to locate those moments that strike a chord to make us feel full. It’s the same place that loops back on itself to makes others, and the world around, also fervently full”
Through our activities, we aim to get more people engaging with and enjoying the culture and ecology of the Westfjords. It’s part trail development project, part creative storytelling endeavour.
Our latest activities include writing a sparkling little guidebook to the Westfjords region—as a way sharing our knowledge and of inviting more people to walk on some of the old herding and walking routes found between Ísafjörður and Látrabjarg. It features cultural history through the lens of local ecology, invitations to explore and be open to the environment's affect, creative response from the projects we've run previously (see below) and maps for over 250 km of rough rocky trail!
It will publish 2020. Join the mailing list for updates.
(each slide has audio attached which plays automatically as you change the slides!)
Cairn REstoration Project
We sang, lifted and stacked stone, walked, camped, listened, dreamed, foraged, told stories, lived in cloud, created, ate like kings, cried with the rain, swam, ran, welcomed silence, forgot and remembered in equal measure, and made a lot of new friends! A total of 32 people took part; we repaired over 40 cairns while mapping many more.
“I believe the sight of a new dry stone construction on the land is a sign of a healthy community. When loose stone is collected and arranged, conversations take place. Intercourse is initiated among people about their place on earth”
© Notebook, Emma Houlihan
Native Tree Planting Project
In the summer of 2017, 10,000 native birch and rowan trees were planted in an area of 10 ha. at Hrafnseyri, Westfjords. The area is home to the Westfjords best exhibition space which features the life of Iceland’s Independence hero, Jón Sigurðsson. The project ran in collaboration with Reykjavík based organisation, SEEDS, and was funded by the European Outdoor Conservation Association.
“For a human character to reveal truly exceptional qualities, one must have the good fortune to be able to observe its performance over many years. If this performance is devoid of all egoism, if its guiding motive is unparalleled generosity, if it is absolutely certain there is no thought of recompense, and that in addition, it has left its visible mark upon the earth, then there can be no mistake”
Walking Artist Residency
In the summers of 2015 and 2016, we welcomed writers, dancers, musicians, visual and performance artists for a 2 week walking artist residency. During this time we foraged, walked and sang through the perpetually light nights, got sodden, kayaked, shared creative response with each other, and allowed the land and sea to infiltrate our dreams.
Delivered in collaboration with Tanja Geis and funded by Shinnyo-en Peacebuilding Leadership Fellowship, USA.
“Creating art is not as elevated a thing as many people guess, but certainly it is a useful and kind thing to do, especially if it brings people together, and arouses kind feelings in them”
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