The Town Hólmavík in the Icelandic Westfjords comes with a very special and challenging situation. The positive results and experiences of the Initiative of the Turtle Filmfest in 2015 lead to a more sustainable strategy in solving the community problems and being able to offer a new visionary approach in cultural and artistic development.

The Municipality Strandabyggð, has a population of around 450 people. Its town Holmavik, is the largest town in the Strandir region, an area with an exciting and tragic history of witchcraft, witch-hunting and sorcery. Inhabitants in the countryside surrounding Hólmavík live mostly on sheep farming, while economic activity in town revolves around the fisheries and the service sector.

Visitors will find all basic amenities, and more, in Hólmavík. Accommodation of various kind, a camping ground, restaurants, a newly built swimming pool and a good Tourist Information Center that serves the hole area. A golf course and a horse rental can be found just outside the town. Last but not least the famous Museum of Icelandic Sorcery & Witchcraft is always worth a visit.

Our vision

We are looking to stimulate artistic discourses and facilitate personal encounters between artists, visitors and local people. New collaborative working processes and innovative productions in intercultural exchange are encouraged in close cooperation with local people and their ideas and needs. Goal is to establish a platform for further cultural events within a fund based flexible organisational form: seeking participation and competition with alike situations and institutions nationwide and international.

Together with the institute bild.medien at Peter Behrens School of Arts in Düsseldorf, Germany, and the Macromedia University in Leipzig, Germany, we put a special focus on research and development of digital and intermedia solutions for structurally weak and cultural under developed communities. Goal is to get more media attention on interesting projects in the area, increase educational possibilities for locals esp. younger people, and develop a better communicate and mediate competitiveness for likely cultural sites in rural areas.

Within the expected research program we are excited to be creating live augmented sculptures that combine the possibilities of hybrid media installations with a dynamic information and orientation system. Augmented reality and geo based data are just some of the topics here, providing a channel of communication for both sides; artists and visitors as well.

Research and development will be on site in close contact with artists to get a closer relation to not only their needs but their ideas: our journey begins with the Contemporary Sculpture Walk in Hólmavík because we believe in the creational and imaginational powers of art itself.

By establishing an international landmark for quality contemporary sculpture art we will high profile this unique place in the North as a cultural destination that matters and engages.