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.

#MemoryIsAWeapon

Firdoze Bulblia

At the core of this study is the exploration of knowledge acquisition through a combination of practice and academic theory, particularly through the lens of multimodal theatre. The research employs a creative arts methodology, blending artistic production with academic inquiry, to examine how theatre can function as a transformative tool for resistance, memory, and healing. Central to this investigation is the theatrical production Memory is a Weapon, which directly engages with the lived experiences of the Fordsburg Women's Group members. This work integrates visual arts, narrative, music, dance, and movement to explore themes of memory, trauma, activism, and gender justice. By creating and analysing this production, this thesis demonstrates how theatre can preserve silenced histories and act as a medium for socio-political change, while also contributing to the healing and processing of collective trauma.

Firdoze Bulblia
Researcher

(MA) African Studies; Ohio University, USA; BA (Dramatic Arts Honours, WITS University, South Africa); Teacher’s Diploma in English and Afrikaans and a Licentiate (ATCL-LTCL) in Drama from Trinity College, UK. Currently pursuing a PhD (Art, Design & Architecture)Award-winning producer of feature film documentaries, animations and theatre producer, director and trainer; host of the FShow an online chat through which we discuss contemporary and political topics with high-profile guests from all over the world. Chairperson of The Children and Broadcasting Foundation for Africa (CBFA) hosted the 5th World Summit on Media for Children in 2007. Served two mandates as President of CIFEJ. Co-founder of ABC (Africa’s Best Channel- in Nigeria); African Animation Studio focusing on Pan-African Animations. Produced 6-feature films; and a Legacy Project “Mandela’s Africa”. She is the Festival Director of The Nelson Mandela Children’s Film Festival and former Festival Director of Zanzibar International Film Festival (2019)

Hugarflug annual conference on artistic research

11. - 12. September 2025

Iceland University of the Arts

Friday, 12. september, 2025 - 13:00 - 14:30

3x20 min Presentation + 3x10 min Discussion

Moderator:

Room:

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