NORDIC PERMACULTURE FESTIVAL

in Iceland 2017

— NORDIC PERMACULTURE FESTIVAL 2017

Sandar Suðursins

Thorlakshofn

— ROLE

Site manager

Festival designer

— DATE

April – August 2017

The project was very versatile and required a lot of creativity and self organisation. Initially I purchased a truck in Sweden, drove it via Oslo to pick up a yurt, down through Denmark, from where we travelled by ferry to Iceland. The site was a volcanic desert, or black beach, outside of Selfoss in south western Iceland. The vegetation was made up of handful of small trees, patches of lupins, and some moss and lichens.

I lived on site for six weeks, designing, constructing and setting up all the necessary facilities for the festival, from camping site, toilets, tool shed, shelters, fireplaces, outdoor kitchen, sweat lodge, teaching facility, yurt, and set of instruments made from upcycled materials. Primarily I worked with Mörður, and the hosting organisation Permavillage, but with time our crew was increased up to over 20 individuals. We salvages over 90% of materials used, built raised mounds from organic materials for wind cover, and a dug down an outdoor kitchen into a sand dune, protecting the cooks and food from the sandy coastal winds. During the set-up two courses were held on site and three events in a venue in Reykjavik.

We also collaborated with local permaculturists and elementary school, and hosted around 90 individuals for a three day event with workshops, lectures and music events. Our volunteers were both international and local, and they stayed from 5-15 days. The landscape was extreme and the ecosystem "primitive". We planted sapling trees amongst the lupins and built small kitchen gardens as well as composting piles. This event was organised by Permavillage in collaboration with the municipality, and the touring Nordic Permaculture Festival.

Video by Angie @fairyanimal

Article in Icelandic magazine Dagskráin on the local government permitting local permaculture group Tofrastadir to develop a black desert in the area of Thorlakshofn, Selfoss in Iceland. I am in the center of the lower picture and mentioned in its caption.

The festival sign by the mainroad passing the site.

Entrance to the site

Piles of organic materials brought in from local sorting station supporting Permavillage Developments project.

My permacultural design of the site, size about 500x500 m

The festival site before, size about 500x500 meters

First impressions by the pioneer group of local enthusiasts

Camp 1: My tent, a modular composting toilet, built from pallets off-site.

Building materials arrive from local sorting station.

Organic materials arriving to site from local sorting station

Local fire department fills water containers salvaged from local food industry

Camp 2: tool shelter and workstation with firepit, by the camping grounds. Built from salvaged materials.

Soil, wood chips, branches, and other available organic waste is assembled into mounds to brake the wind factor at the campsite.

Fireplace dug down into ground to shelter the flames from the wind.

Camp 2: heart of the camping grounds

A shed for powertools, made from salvaged materials (unfinished).

Part of the volunteering crew.

Raising the yurt in a semi sheltered place

The yurt, raised without insulation, as we mainly needed it for wind protection

Constructing a shelter for overwintering purposes. We built this as a worshop during the festival. Made from salvaged materials.

The main composting toilet, made from salvaged materials. Room for four people simultaneously. Urinal to the left, and water tank to the right.

The outdoor kitchen, constructed by David Roxendal as a workshop prior to the festival. Made from salvaged materials.

The outdoor kitchen in a finished state.

Outdoor kitchen (called Sandwitch) cooking facilities, rocket stove to the left. Old freezer dug down to the right, acts as cooler, no electricity on site.