Part 1: the smaller of the 2

By Maria Mortati, Sr. Exhibit Developer

Since winter approaches, thought a quick post about a museum in Northern Iceland might be just the thing.

This summer I visited the Sigurgeirs Bird Museum on Lake Myvatn (which I touched on in an earlier post. Will come back to it). They were about to open an adjacent building created specifically to house one of the earliest boats used on the lake, and let us in take a look.

For me it was really a tribute to experience through design. This isn't a place where you want to add your story, make your mark or be a part of a larger whole through dialog. It's a place for reflection, and calm and a little sadness– all reinforced by careful editing. Note: click on the images for descriptions.

This simple, profound design etched a place in my brain that most others have not. It's left space open for me to have emotions about the experience without the cacophony of the rest of the world.

News from Iceland: birds inject hope?

I just got back from a two week trip around Iceland. I had worked there for an ad agency many years ago. I found the country in quite good shape and will be writing some posts about what I saw. Still sifting through 2 gigs of pictures...

One of my favorite museums was Sigurgeirs Bird Museum (in Icelandic known as Fuglasafn Sigurgeirs)- a family owned and operated shrine to their late brother's incredible bird collection. This museum is located in the beautiful, but somewhat remote Lake Mývatn district.

In my post-visit research, I found that they are getting some additional funding from an Icelandic group called the Aurora Foundation. A very interesting match with the funders charter:

"The primary aim of the foundation is to enhance and strengthen cultural and humanitarian activities in Iceland and abroad. Emphasis is focused on supporting projects that can make a difference, that inject hope and optimism into a community."

After having seen the museum and met the hard-working director, I can see that such a project would inject great hope and awe into the lakeside community it lives in. More about it to come.

Image courtesy of the Aurora Foundation.