Further Information

My project

Onyfir is an illustrated picturebook about the people and surroundings in Borgarfjörður eystri, a small village in a fjord in the East of Iceland. The book is my final project at the Illustration Department of the Reykjavík School of Visual Arts.

Why Borgarfjörður eystri?

I have been a frequent visitor of the village since 2011, when my friend and I were looking for a place to work for a month or so. It was a lucky coincidence that we were hired at Borgarfjörður’s local fish factory. Since then I have returned to Borgarfjörður for a few weeks every year, working at the fish factory and the adjacent café.

I’ve always felt welcome in Borgarfjörður, even though there are so many things that are different from what I’m used to. For a start, the subjects people discuss and how they phrase things is sometimes unusual to me. There are only about 100 inhabitants in the village and people generally pay close attention to what everyone else is doing. There are 8 children in the primary school and the number of young people is slowly decreasing. Nevertheless there is a host of people that has a strong connection to Borgarfjörður so the population increases dramatically in the summer. Private jokes live for years in the village, but even though the villagers like to make fun of each other, there is a great deal of support in the community.

Borgarfjörður eystri is unique, not only because of the stunning, peaceful nature, but also because of the colourful characters and one-of-a-kind culture.

Village atmosphere

Preparing the book, I spent just over three weeks in Borgarfjörður, drawing whatever crossed my path. My goal was to capture the atmosphere of daily life in the village as it presented itself to me as an outsider that has been allowed a glance into the everyday life. There is something truly unique about this place that always pulls me back there, and I wanted that element to be present in the drawings.

The book

The book consists of sketches and drawings of people, buildings, mountains, wildlife and whatever else that fascinates me about Borgarfjörður. It’s those little things that make Borgarfjörður what it s. I have also written short texts that further describe life in the village; explanations for those not lucky enough to have been born there.

The next steps

The next steps are the layout and printing of the book. The book and the drawings will be exhibited at the graduate exhibition at the Reykjavík School of Visual Arts in mid-May and this summer the book will “return home” when I will have an exhibition in Borgarfjörður eystri. That will be around the same time as the music festival Bræðslan is held in the village, in late July.

Help!

This is a costly process but in the end it will turn into a beautiful final product that can be yours if you assist me here on Karolina Fund. Thank you!