The Narrative Collection 2011-2012

On Saturday, May 12 at 16:00, the Collection Center reopens in Skaftfell´s main gallery. New narratives will be presented, alongside the whole collection, thereof 25 with English subtitles.

Relay – the word passed on presents Skaftfell from Icelandic Art Center on Vimeo.

About the project

Since 2011 Skaftfell has taken on the extensive project entitled The Narrative Collection. The purpose is to collect narratives from all the inhabitants of Seyðisfjörður in 2011 and 2012, and to keep a kind of snapshots which together give a bigger picture of the community.

It is unique to have the opportunity to map the memories of an entire community. That sort of mapping not only gives insight into the community in question but is also a unique contemporary documentation. A document on human existence, a document on the passing of time, how generations communicate and the foundation upon which today is based.

The collection is gathered by recording short videos of people narrating and was then made accessible to the public at the collection´s center in Skaftfell´s gallery. The collection center was opened in June 17, 2001, and there visitors could watch the narratives and gather information on the project. The center was opened for eight months and new narratives where added continuously.

Swiss Artist Cristoph Büchel, Skaftfell´s Art Director 2011-2012, initiated the project but it will be carried out in cooperation with the Icelandic Centre for Ethnology and Folklore (ICEF). The collection will take place simultaneously in Strandir and Seyðisfjörður.