Faxaverksmiðjan portal
Multimedia installation
Steel, soil, herring scent, vynil, archival photography
May 2026
Nýlistasafnið, The Living Art Museum, Reykjavik, Iceland
There is an octagonal crack on the ceiling of The Living Art Museum. There was once a large opening there, framing the tanks and machinery of the Faxaverksmiðjan (Faxi Herring Factory). A similar opening existed on the floor as well. It is difficult to imagine how many herrings were processed within these walls. How many schools of fish were lost, deprived of their oldest and wisest members for the sake of human profit. This portal, through scent and soil, speaks of forgotten memory.
Thanks to Lilja Birgisdóttir and Fischersund, Ásmundur Hrafn Sturluson, architect, Óskar Örn Arnórsson, architectural historian and Gísli Helgason at the Reykjavík Museum of Photography, Sigurhans Vignir, author of the photograph and Steinþór Gissurarson.