A top level team from the University of Ulster is to lead a delegation of senior arts and creative industry representatives from Northern Ireland on a study visit to Iceland in early June, where they will meet some of the key players in Iceland’s creative and cultural industries.

The visit to Reykjavik – the country’s capital city –  has been organised by the Magee-based Northern Ireland Centre for European Co-Operation and  from the University’s Cultural Development Department, and will provide a platform for Icelandic and Northern Irish organisations to share their experiences with a view to influencing the development of Northern Ireland’s knowledge economy and its creative industries.

Iceland is one of Europe’s fastest growing economies and one that has had particular success in promoting the creative industries as a key to their international identity, in music, art, fashion and TV. The country has moved from a rural and fishing economy to a service and creative economy in under ten years, a journey that Northern Ireland can learn from. Reykjavik has also become one of Europe’s top cultural tourist destinations, in spite of its geographical isolation and size.  Iceland and Northern Ireland face some very similar issues in terms of developing their creative infrastructure and the visit is intended to be kick start some new thinking in the area, as well as build some potential contacts for the future.

Nollaig Ó Fionghaile of the Northern Ireland Centre for European Co-Operation (NICEC), which is based at the University’s Magee campus,  said: “There are particular synergies to be found between the Icelandic and Northern Irish experience and exciting new developments to be explored with the creative industries in Iceland with established success stories in regional approaches and individual entrepreneurship.”

Ross Graham of the NI Music Commission said he was  particularly interested in the Icelandic experience in international profiling and development of opportunities for artists and music businesses.

Colin Jack, Director of Culture with the Department of Culture, Arts & Leisure said: “there are valuable lessons to be learned in terms of policy and practice that will help us in the development of cultural and creative industries in N. Ireland. Having attended previous trips, NICEC have issued programmes of professional relevance, with high quality debate led by NICEC staff and   hosting organisations. The programme of visits by NICEC has given the creative sector in Northern Ireland a unique opportunity to see how the creative industries and culture in general has been developed in Europe”.  

From Bjork and Sigúr Ros to being the location for Clint Eastwood’s forthcoming Iwo Jima epic, Flags of Our Fathers, Iceland is becoming a major player on the international arts scene. Music, filming and design will be some of the key creative industries being explored during the visit.

Among those sharing their experiences will be Svanhildur Konradsdottir, the Director of the Reykjavik Tourism Office, Magnus Scheving, the Director of Lazy Town (an innovative and highly successful children’s TV show, now syndicated across Europe) and Gudbjorg Gissurarsdottir, the Director of the Icelandic Design Forum.  Working meetings and site visits to successful projects will be held in Reykjavik, and policy discussions held with the Ministry of Culture. The NI delegates include representatives from city councils, networking bodies, small audio-visual companies and practising artists and designers to include Ideas Factory NI, NORIBIC, NI Music Industry Commission, BANJAX Studios, and CANDO interactive among others.

The NICEC programme of activities under the theme “Shared Learning from the Local to the Global” is funded by the EU Peace II Programme through the Office of First Minister and Deputy First Minister.  NICEC is currently facilitating a team of politicians and policy makers, practitioners (including representatives from NGOs) and analysts and researchers to participate in a number of activities which aim to support creative industry developments in Northern Ireland.

The study visit will take place in Reykjavik on 6th – 11th June 2006. For further information, please contact: Nollaig Ó Fiongháile on tel: (44) 790 430 5932 e: n.ofionghaile@ulster.ac.uk

For further information, please contact:

David Young
Telephone: 028 90366074
Email: David Young