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.

Hugarflug annual conference on artistic research

11. - 12. September 2025

Iceland University of the Arts

Images of Iceland and their Representations in Contemporary Icelandic Art

Nína Hjálmarsdóttir, Þorbjörg Daphne Hall

The talk will discuss the images that artists from Iceland must contend with and the methods they use to either reinforce or undermine these images. In the works of Icelandic artists, one can observe alienation techniques such as childlike stagings, an unbreakable connection to nature, and the supernatural. Research on colonialism in the Icelandic context is still in its early stages, and little attention has been given to the arts. The research is based on theories of borealism, alienation, and the whiteness of the North, as well as the formation of national identities. Examples will be analyzed of artists who, on the one hand, confirm the image of "the Icelandic," and on the other hand, resist and decolonize that image. Among the artists discussed are Björk, Sigur Rós, Erna Ómarsdóttir, and Melanie Ubaldo.

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.

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

3x20 min Presentation + 3x10 min Discussion

Moderator: Anna Dröfn Ágústsdóttir

Room:

Nína Hjálmarsdóttir
Assistant professor and program director of theory at the department of performing arts, Iceland University of the Arts.

Nína Hjálmarsdóttir works in performance and research. They are an assistant professor and program director of theory at the department of performing arts, Iceland University of the Arts. Nína is a co-founder of performance collective Sálufélagar en queer event collective Sleikur. They hold a B.A. in Performing Arts from Iceland University of the Arts and an M.A. in Performance Studies from New York University. Their research practice is centered in decolonial and queer theory, looking at cultural imaginaries of the North and how they are represented in art and performance. www.ninahjalmars.com

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