Current/s: From Waste to Value

Set in the remote location of Eyri in Árneshreppur, there is a disappearing community. From 500 people to 45 in only 50 years, this town is in vital need of a rejuvenation. Because of its unique location in Iceland (and globally) this place has been the receiver of driftwood throughout the centuries. It is said that driftwood is the reason Iceland was habitable in the first place, along with the warm Gulf Stream. But driftwood is disappearing and another material is arriving in great quantities. Plastic. So, how can waste be made into value with the help of long living traditions and heritage?

The project Current/s addresses the possible cooperation that can take place in abandoned infrastructures in coastal towns, in this case Árneshreppur with driftwood and plastic. The centuries-old tradition of working with driftwood is related to plastic recycling, and together these valuable, often overlooked, materials create new ideas for the use of different ocean resources. The past, present and future collaborate in a reuse community for locals, carpenters, volunteers, researchers, designers, artists, and visitors. A deteriorating abandoned herring factory is used as a shell and given new purpose while keeping the raw beauty and history present. This place doesn’t need the lure of luxury to draw people in. It doesn’t need embellishment, it simply needs care. The area is well known for its driftwood covered beaches. There it has been used for centuries for building, heating, furniture, and strange brutal events such as witchcraft burnings. But now it is estimated that in the year 2060 driftwood will stop arriving on Icelandic shores because of the melting of the Arctic Sea ice. While this is happening, a new material is arriving in greater quantity, plastic. Plastic pollution is a new threat in the arctic region and is a threat to marine life as well as for the fauna and flora on land. Plastic must be though of as a material with a second life and a new purpose instead of only waste and pollution. With these local, once global, materials new structural skeletons are made and placed inside the deteriorating concrete skin of the existing building. The past life of the herring factory , built in 1944 will welcome the present and the future in a melting pot of creative spaces, research lab, artist studio, visitor centre and social spaces.