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NEW CULTURAL FUTURES FOR SEYÐISFJÖRÐUR
- Seyðisfjörður, a historic town in East Iceland known for artistic experimentation, international exchange, and grassroots cultural life has been under increasing pressure during the last five years due to natural disasters and industry collapse.
- Huldunótur, in collaboration with curator Hlín Helga Guðlaugsdóttir, conducted a research and co-design initiative exploring how culture can support social and economic resilience. The project combined qualitative interviews, contextual observation, co-design workshops, speculative scenarios, and community engagement. We examined Seyðisfjörður’s cultural strengths alongside pressures including the 2020 landslides, regional merger into Múlaþing, seasonal tourism, declining local agency, demographic change, and operational strain on cultural institutions.
- Our research found that culture in Seyðisfjörður is not a standalone sector, but part of everyday life—connecting arts with identity, education, hospitality, craft, belonging, wellbeing, and the local economy. The town’s cultural foundation is strong, but fragile, relying heavily on a small group of dedicated leaders. Participation is present but uneven, with some residents feeling disconnected from cultural decision-making.
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The report recommends strengthening the conditions that allow cultural life to sustain itself over time: a trusted local cultural project management team, community-owned or co-managed cultural spaces, microgrants, shared tools, broader mapping of cultural activity, an annual cultural impact review, and clearer recognition of cultural workers’ wider skills across craft, fabrication, teaching, hospitality, digital production, and local enterprise.
- Rather than prescribing a fixed vision, the project identifies pathways for Seyðisfjörður to use culture as a practical engine for renewal, resilience, and shared stewardship.
File Under: Design research, civic engagement, cultural identity, futuring, co-design