Festival: Illuminated art in Seydisfjordur

EVENT Art festival

A celebration of light

Every February, an East Fjords town celebrates the return of the sun with glowing art.

TEXT: Carolyn Bain PHOTO: Chantal Anderson

Seydisfjordur’s reputation as a creative hub belies its population, which barely nudges 700. The town’s artistic repertoire is impressive, from the LungA festival to artist residencies, schools, galleries, and even art installations high in the hills. The town’s setting is itself a masterpiece, but those dazzling peaks cast long shadows during the winter. When the sun returns after its months-long absence in mid-February, it’s time to celebrate.

With a name that translates as “Art in Light”, List i ljosi is a free annual festival founded in 2016 by Celia Harrison from New Zealand, together with local Sesselja Jonasardottir. In 2019 it received the Eyrarrosin prize, awarded to outstanding cultural events in Iceland’s countryside.

The festival lights up the town with works from local and international artists. Installations, projections and live performances vary each year, and locals and visitors rug up to walk the streets after dusk, pausing to admire buildings that glow with animations or hillsides that reflect profound messages. Anything is possible, from oversized illuminated chickens roosting by the lagoon to shiny disco balls suspended from bridges.

The famous Blue Church is often a beacon for projections, but in 2019 it was Herdubreid, the town’s community centre named after Iceland’s favourite mountain, that took centre stage. It featured a mesmerising visual piece from Slovakian artist Boris Vitazek entitled “Second Litany”. A strong pulsing beat was used to choreograph 3D projections that looked like giant human figures dancing and sitting on the building’s facade.

The town works together to ensure the weekend is a calendar highlight. Inside Herdubreid, the Flat Earth Film Festival screens a small selection of offbeat international films, while the local electricity company turns off central streetlights so the light of the art shines extra bright. If the weather gods are kind, northern lights glimmer overhead and amplify the town’s artistry.

GETTING THERE:

Reykjavik

Seydisfjordur Egilsstadir

Air Iceland Connect flies to Egilsstadir in only 50 minutes. From there it takes about 30 minutes to drive to Seydisfjordur. The next List i ljosi festival will take place 14–15 February 2020.

→ airicelandconnect.com → listiljosi.com

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