The Westfjords Residency

Expanding the idea of a coffeehouse as an incubator for art and culture, we developed the Westfjords Residency to bring creative people to Þingeryi. We invite artists working in all mediums - painters, dancers, writers, developers, etc. - to get inspiration from each other and from the environment in the Westfjords, and to bring ideas from their own background to life in the village.

We occasionally run group residencies, but from September to May we have spaces available for individual creative residencies and retreats. See below for details and how to apply for space.

Individual creative retreats

Every year we host artists and creatives looking for a place to get inspiration, reflect, and work on their practice. We offer accommodation and workspace in the centre of the village, with access on the doorstep to the Westfjords landscape.

The individual one-month residency is open for autumn 2026 and spring 2027.

Available months for the autumn of 2026 are: September, October, November and December.

For the spring of 2027 available months are: January, February, March, April & May.

To apply, contact us directly. Please provide the dates you plan to attend and a short introduction to you and your work.

We only accept one-month stays.

Individual residencies are fully self-organized and -driven. We are available onsite for any questions, but residents are responsible for their own food, transportation, and work schedule.

Workspace and accommodation

We own a 160 square meter workshop/loft/apartment space called the Harbour House in the centre of Thingeyri. It is situated right next to the water and has a great overview of the fjord. This is where artists stay and work. You have the entire workshop to yourself.

The Harbour House is a warehouse building split between two levels. It includes different movable work and sleeping areas, a kitchen and a bathroom. We invite one artist to use all the space in the Harbour House for one-month at a time. If you are a couple or two artists working together, please contact us for more information.

We provide bed linens, bath towels, laundry facilities, and a fully equipped kitchen.

Individual residents are fully independent to use their time as they want, and are responsible for their own meals, schedule, etc, but we are also available onsite if any questions arise.

Cost and location

A one-month individual retreat in our residency costs 150.000 ISK

We are situated in the remote Westfjords of Iceland. The Westfjords, with all of their breathtaking scenery, are known for unpredictable weather conditions. It is good to consider September throughout May as winter months with potential bad weather. Be sure to be in contact with us about your traveling plans and check weather and road conditions before departure.
We stongly advice people not to drive to Thingeyri in severe winter conditions!

Some good-to-know’s about Thingeyri:

The village has a gas station which also funtions as a small convenience store offering basic food provisions, burgers, hot dogs and ice cream.

The nearest grocery stores (Bonus & Samkaup) are in Isafjordur, a 40 minute ride by car or public bus.
Public busses run three times a day between Thingeyri and Isafjordur.
Thingeyri has a public swimming pool, a sportshall, a kindergarden, a primary school, a black smith museum and more. Main services like shops, police, university and institutions are in Isafjordur.

Wifi

A high speed internet connection is available in The Harbour House.

past residencies

February 2020 Group Residency

This winter’s February group residency is well over and we are looking back at a fantastic week together with a great group of creatives in our Fjord! Our group consisted of 8 international artists from Belgium, Holland, America, Denmark, Scotland, Iceland and The UK, they worked in various art fields: music, performance, mixed art, collage, painting, photography and curating. This year’s winter residency had a more curated schedule than usual: live music performances by our very own SHHE, daily morning-yoga by Isobel Grad and Enneagram self-discovery courses by Janne Kristensen. Mixed up with daily vegetarian meals, hikes and a great, winter wonderland excursion to Isafjorður. The many group activities and their deepening content brought us all closer to some essential human truths - a pretty magical experience to ave together! We are very grateful for the time we got to share with this group of wonderful, creative souls! Janne, Su & Isobel

Read the full blog post about all participants here: www.westfjordsresidency.com/blog/2020/3/28/february-2020-group-residency

Questioning Arts - February 2016

In the month of February 2016, we hosted a Lithuania-Icelandic artist exchange program called "Questioning Arts". It is a collaboration between artists from the Westfjords and Utena in Lithuania. A total of 6 Westfjords artists took part in three artist residencies in Utena from May to October 2015 and this February the last stage of the residency took take place in Thingeyri with around 15 Lithuanians visiting and staying in Thingeyri. The artists were working under different themes, hosted workshops in the local communities and held 4 exhibitions in our village.