Fish Factory Creative Centre

This is an amazing experience, with great shared living houses in the east fjords village, and a spacious shared studio building (with many options for workshops and studio). The cost is very low, especially for Iceland.

Incredible equipment, very kind, helpful and passionate staff. It was a wonderful space and environment to dive into your craft and imagination.

I think it is good to take in consideration that the hosts of the Residency do not lead crits and give constant feedback but instead they lead an independent Residency. The feedback they do give to you on request is brilliant and very thoughtful. I went on this Residency knowing no one and knowing little about it. The location is very remote, be prepared for a little amount of contact with other people unless you hire a car! However, the remoteness was exactly what I needed for my project. The houses they provided where very comfortable and gave opportunity to bond with the fellow residents on the programme. The weather, light and remoteness were challenging. I went during October/November so I expected typical beginnings of Winter Weather and became accustomed to the lack of light and high winds - added to the experience! The Fish Factory facilities are unique and you have so much space and help from the hosts to create anything you want with the supplies they provide/find. Make sure when booking this Residency to take note of the time of year you go because of the weather. Other than, enjoy the surroundings, the people, the fish and the Aurora...if they decide to show!

I loved being at the Fish Factory. The studio space was a huge room which six of us shared. I had a large table and a vertical board to hang work on. The entire building had many different workshops available such as woodworking (not available when I was there), a sound studio, pottery, metalworking, small printshop. Opportunities abounded though there was no one there for guidance so it was necessary to already have the knowledge of how to use it. I did watercolors. The environment was stunning. I love Iceland. The town is isolated so without a car, one would be stuck in town. There are hikes to go on, and the residency provides transportation (at a minimal cost) to go to a grocery store each week. I had a car and was glad to be able to explore on my own. A question asked about networking and professional development. I met the other artists, of course, and the folks who run the residency (they’re super nice!), but there was no professional development. They provided a place to work and a place to stay (a house up the hill, shared with other residents) and weekly rides to the grocery store. They were available for questions. The town is tiny - about 150 residents - so there weren’t opportunities there either to make connections. There are two galleries in town and I met the folks there. It’s a beautiful tiny town in a beautiful setting. The house I stayed in was nice. The work space was good. I loved having a month to do my work!