Skriðusögur (The Landslide Stories)
09.05–09.09.2023
Library

On December 14, 2020, torrents of heavy rain began to fall over the town of Seyðisfjörður, Iceland. Over the course of the next five days, a record-breaking amount of precipitation fell over the village and mudslides began to flow from the steep slopes that bind the fjordside town. Just after 3pm on December 18, an immense mass of land collapsed over the south-east quarter of Seyðisfjörður, destroying thirteen buildings and burying a significant part of the town. In the immediate aftermath of the landslide, all 650 inhabitants of Seyðisfjörður scrambled to find safety, wondering who may have been lost and fearing the absolute worst.

In the two years following this devastating landslide, local photographer Jessica Auer collaborated with Katja Goljat and Matjaž Rušt of Slovenia to follow up on people’s stories of the events and recovery.

Combining photographs, artworks and text, Skriðusögur tells the story of the Seyðisfjörður landslides of December 2020. Published by Ströndin Studio, this 160-page book is co-authored by photographers Katja Goljat, Matjaž Rušt and Jessica Auer, as well as twenty-seven contributors from the local community. Skriðusögur presents intimate stories about the impact of a natural catastrophe on a small Icelandic community, and the inhabitants’ resilience in the face of global climate change.

Jessica Auer is a Québécois photographer and filmmaker who works from her studio in Seydisfjördur, Iceland. Her work is broadly concerned with the study of landscapes as cultural sites. Through a research-based practice, she examines our social, political and aesthetic perspectives towards place, including but not limited to – historical sites, tourist destinations, and small communities.

Katja Goljat and Matjaž Rušt are documentary photographers from Ljubljana, Slovenia. Katja was awarded Slovenian Photographer of the Year in 2013 while Matjaž was recently awarded a major prize from the Slovenian Book Agency in 2023. Both artists have published several photo books focusing on people and place.

Skriðusögur (The Landslide Stories)

By Matjaž Rušt, Katja Goljat and Jessica Auer

Edited by: Jessica Auer, Zuhaitz Akizu, Matjaž Rušt and Katja Goljat

Published by: Ströndin Studio, Iceland.

Designed by: Anja Delbello & Aljaž Vesel / AA

160 pages; 17 x 22 cm; Munken Polar 120g, EOS Blauweiss 1.590g

Edition: 500

English and Icelandic

2022