A bountiful harvest at the Creative Summer Jobs Festival
The fruits of creative summer jobs were revealed at the Innovation Centre by the Stream yesterday afternoon. „It's rewarding and brilliant to see the projects come to life; from the applications to real works of art,“ says the manager of Hreiðrið Youth Centre.
Creative summer of Hafnarfjörður artists
Many people attended the Creative Summer Jobs harvest festival, which took place at the Innovation Centre by the Stream yesterday, Thursday 6th August. The summer's output was summarised, and guests were given the opportunity to learn about the diverse projects of this young and creative people. And, yes, it was quite an experience. Performers who have a bright future ahead of them took to the stage.
„It's rewarding and wonderful to see the projects come to life; from the applications into real works of art,“ says Svala Eyjólfsdóttir, manager of Hreiðrið Youth Centre. „Yes, to see what came in as an idea this spring in three dimensions at yesterday's harvest festival.“ The young artists have shown power and creativity.
„I'm so grateful to have been a part of this. They grew so much over the summer and showed that they are incredibly talented as independent artists,“ says Svala. „There was a great work ethic and they are extremely talented. They absolutely nailed it.“
A diverse artistic group
Svala says the group formed a great bond. „They worked side by side on their projects and told me how brilliant it had been to work alongside others in their creativity.“
Svala says jobs like these are important. „Yes, people are given the space to develop as artists, create art and find their own path. It was a diverse group and everything was on offer. I encourage young creative people to look into this opportunity for next year.“
Creative Summer Jobs are part of the Hafnarfjörður Work School and give young people aged 18–25 the opportunity to develop and implement their own ideas in the arts and creative fields. This year, nine diverse projects have been carried out under the Creative Summer Jobs programme.
At the harvest festival, it was clear to see just how different paths the young artists had taken this summer – from visual art and interactive video works to radio drama, creative writing and junk percussion. They described their projects with passion, and it was clear that each and every one had been made with love.
The fruits of the summer
„Summer of “26“ – a three-part radio play based on overheard conversations in and around Hafnarfjörður in the summer of 2026. Authors: Katla Yamagata, Grímur Smári Hallgrímsson and Daði Viðarsson
Inspiration in the real world – Mood board for the short film „Rætur“, made according to the rules of the Dogme 95 filmmaking movement. Author: Reynir Skarphéðinsson
The Hidden People of Hafnarfjörður – an illustrated summary of facts and interpretations about elves and hidden folk in Hafnarfjörður.
Author: Esja Eiríkur Didziokas
Stories of older residents of Hafnarfjörður A creative compilation of stories from older people in Hafnarfjörður about what is close to their hearts. Author: Kristín Birta
Untitled – Egill Ari combined technology and art in an interactive video work where the viewer becomes part of the artwork. Author: Egill Ari
Time – creative writing in which time is presented in a variety of ways. Author: Thor Ásbjörnsson
Picking up rubbish Ish has combined environmental protection, creative writing and Icelandic studies by walking around Hafnarfjörður, picking up litter and using the time to think, create and write poetry. The result is „Zine“, a small magazine with poems inspired by the litter-picking walks. Author: Ugh
Voices of the Future and the Great Squids – creative writing for children and for selected pupils in schools. Author: Snow White Hannesson
100 years plus – Aster worked on the recreation of classical paintings and drew, among other things, from The Love Potion from the year 1903 by Evelyn De Morgan. Author: Aster
Creation that brings the town to life
Creative summer jobs were revived in 2021 in a collaboration between the City of Hafnarfjörður and the youth centre Hamar, but the project had previously been run in the summer of 2017. The idea is to give young people the space to implement their own creative ideas and, at the same time, bring art into the town's life where residents and visitors can come across it in an unexpected way.
The Harvest Festival marked the end of an eventful and creative summer and showcased the breadth of what the Creative Summer Jobs initiative encompasses – where Hafnarfjörður becomes at once a workshop, a subject, and a platform for young artists.
Yes, this is how we promote Hafnarfjörður art for the future!