Siglufjördur 1905
I have been awarded a residency in the Herhusið studio, located in Siglufjörður, North Iceland. This month-long residency is a wonderful opportunity to travel north again and consider the Arctic from the boundary where it meets with the temperate zone.
Siglufjördur is a lively coastal town, caught between ocean, rock and glaciers. It was the capital of the North Atlantic Herring Fishery from 1903-1965, and is now home to the enticing 'Herring Era Museum'. I've been hoping to bring a fishy element into my work for some time (I grew up close to the Border harbour towns - St. Abbs, Eyemouth, Craster and Cullercoats - and have always been partial to mackerel). Now, with the economic and environmental challenges facing the fishing industry, it seems a more intriguing subject than ever.
Siglufjördur 1946
I'll be accompanied on my investigations of the Herring Era by photographer Mark Walton, whose work has already appeared on these pages, and writer and broadcaster Carinne Piekema will contribute some sound science to the verbal/visual mix.
One of the good things about the residency is that it has already introduced me to the work of the fantastic artist Julia Lohmann who spent a month at Herhusið in 2009. Her kelp structures and maggotypes are extraordinary. Thanks to Julia for letting me use the images above from her blog about her residency.
6 comments:
congratulations! thanks wonderful news When do you go?
It begins on 1st March 2012 - for one month - and I hope to stay on for a while longer to explore the glaciers. Not even reading all of Arnaldur Indriðason's crime novels has deterred me!
Congratulations Nancy - sorry to be late!
You'll almost be back by the time you read this. No doubt you'll have found lots of new inspiration from this second journey to the ice-worlds.
Thank you Natalie! and rather than late you are eleven whole months early... I don't set off until next March. Perhaps it's a little early to start getting excited but I can't help it...
Hey Nancy, where can I find your published research on Siglufjörður? I've searched everywhere, including Times Literary Supplement which didn't yield any results. Thanks.
Hi Jasmine, Thanks for your interest in my work. A listing of books is available on my website: Vantar/Missing came out of my 2013 Siglufjörður residency: http://nancycampbell.co.uk/work/artists-books/vantar-missing/ and there's a poem in my collection Disko Bay ('Proverbs of Water) which references Siglufjörður: https://www.enitharmon.co.uk/product/disko-bay-nancy-campbell/ (The latter should be available in most libraries). I guess you already saw the Freelance column in the TLS? Best wishes, Nancy
Post a Comment