Diverse roles of Driftwood

Driftwood is familiar to Icelanders. It can be found on many beaches around the Island, especially the north. It is used by farmers as fencing or building material, or by the occasional summer-house owner to build a campfire.

At the old Herring Factory in Djúpavík, driftwood has a new role. The exhibition Falinn skógur/Hidden Wood focuses on driftwood in design. The exhibition covers recent design in a dialogue with notable crafts as well as to cover few examples showing different use of driftwood in architecture. Works form 25 designer are on display ranging all from jewellery to outdoor bench.

The exhibition is set up in a former lathe workshop in the old Herring Factory, Djúpavík. The nature of the chosen location has a manifold meaning like showing the design at the place of its unique material origin. At the same time to point out the hidden opportunities that can be found in this remote place and could be used further like in the interest of sustainability. The exhibition covers a narration of past and present use of driftwood as to point out the diverse possibilities the material offers.

The chosen works demonstrate how differently the driftwood can be approached as a material in design. Either it can be used untreated or it can be worked further and used as any other timber. Driftwood is a local material that is worth paying attention to and one of the areas (Strandir) distinctive features.

The exhibition’s goal is to reveal this hidden wood - hidden ‘tree farm’ that the area holds as well as to draw attention to disused opportunities that many places hide. Also to centre on the possibilities in using design as an infrastructural force local as global.

This exhibition is the brainchild of two enterprising women Dóra Hansen Interior Designer and Elísabet V. Ingvarsdóttir Design Historian. They are the project managers of this fascinating exhibition, and the curatorial work is all in their hands.