Hugarflug 2025 - Unstable Systems by Sigmundur Pall Freysteinsson

Unstable Systems Instability can be a creative force in art, design, and architecture. Artists, designers, and scholars work both with and against systems that are ever-changing, fragile, or unpredictable. Whether dealing with technological systems, ecosystems, social structures, or sensory experiences, instability is often a prerequisite for creation. Instability opens pathways for new ideas and processes, reshaping how we approach and redesign the systems that shape our lives. It can also refer to the creative act itself—one that does not follow predetermined trajectories or established norms. Art, design, and architecture serve as tools to disrupt stable systems and/or shed new light on systems that appear stable but in reality, they are not. No system is truly stable, and when we resist that instability, it becomes a problem. Instability is perhaps the only certainty we can rely on. Hugarflug 2025, the annual conference on artistic research, will take place on September 11–12. It will serve as a platform for research that engages with instability across various systems—from technological advancements such as AI and interactive systems to issues related to politics, society, and the environment. We will explore how instability functions as a tool for generating new possibilities while also fueling unrest and transformation within society and academia. The Iceland University of the Arts invites proposals of all kinds, including presentations of ongoing or completed research by our faculty, students, and collaborators.

Research on the Screen: Documentary Filmmaking as Methodology and Mediation

Anna Hildur Hildibrandsdóttir, Þorbjörg Daphne Hall

Thursday, 11. september, 2025 - 15:30 - 17:00

3x20 min Presentation + 3x10 min Discussion

Moderator: Guðrún Elsa Bragadóttir

Room: Skriða

RÁS, is part of Building Bridges, a research initiative focused on community-based music practices, particularly MetamorPhonics. Using filmmaking rooted in digital storytelling, RÁS explores participants’ diverse experiences and the role of music in shaping identity and life paths. Combining interviews, field observations, and personal engagement, the resulting documentary functions both as qualitative data and as a creative mode of dissemination. This visual narrative bridges academic insight and artistic expression, engaging both scholarly and public audiences. RÁS also emphasizes the potential of smartphones and flexible production methods in contemporary research communication.

Hugarflug annual conference on artistic research

11. - 12. September 2025

Iceland University of the Arts

Anna Hildur Hildibrandsdóttir
Director of Creative Industries at Bifröst University and a PhD candidate at the University of Galway.

Anna Hildur Hildibrandsdóttir is Programme Director of Creative Industries at Bifröst University and a PhD candidate at the University of Galway. She has over 30 years of experience in the creative sector, including roles as director of Iceland Music Export and as a documentary film producer. Her research focuses on the impact of culture and the creative industries on innovation, with a particular emphasis on community-based creation and digital dissemination.

Þorbjörg Daphne Hall
Professor of Musicology at the Iceland University of the Arts

Dr Þorbjörg Daphne Hall is a professor of Musicology at the Iceland University of the Arts. Her research focuses on Icelandic popular music, national identity, and the social impact of music. Þorbjörg leads the Building Bridges research project, which examines community-based music initiatives, emphasizing participation and the transformative power of music in individuals' lives.

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