Two-day workshops regarding the future of the Technical Museum of East Iceland are
held in Herðubreið. The workshops were for people connected to the Technical Museum,
employees of the museum, board members and specialists. The following are descriptions
from four interviewees in the workshops:
Elsa Guðný, director of the East Iceland Heritage Museum, partook in the workshops.
She says that their purpose was to take the next steps towards future possibilities of the
museum, draw up a vision about factors like where the museum should rise again, what
funding options are available and what should be emphasised when it comes to museum
work. Elsa experiences that the workshops went well and that the methods used to get
ideas going worked well. When asked, Elsa does not have an answer as to what is going
to happen to the data that was created during the workshops, but it should suit the people
that work at the museum’s policy direction, probably Austurbrú and the employees of the
Technical Museum. She mentions that there will probably be a report that will be sent to
some government that could help with the rebuild of the museum. She also mentions that
this is also about money among other things. Elsa says that the workshops were some sort
of a first step.
Elfa Hlín Sigrúnar Pétursdóttir, employee of the Technical Museum and among the organizers of the workshops explains that different factors were considered in the workshops, like who is the guest and which facilities does the museum need.
Lilja Árnadóttir, former division manager of the object division of the National museum of Iceland, says that she has had her share of workshops through the years and that usually “everything just goes straight through” but in this case she got the feeling that people were being activated, good turnout and conversation. She mentions that there should be more than enough material for everybody to take and use for the next steps.
When asked, Jónína Brynjólfsdóttir, project manager at Austurbrú, said that the proceeds of the workshops is that a good foundation for decision-making was created, that the results will be taken apart and used in different fields. She explains that there will be more workshops in the future and that it is important that everyone likes where the museum is headed and how the museum will turn out to be. She explains that the workshops should already have taken place, because the policy formulation work had already been started at the time when the landslides fell. The difference is instead of thinking how the exhibitions should be put up in the buildings of the museum they should think how the buildings that will accommodate the exhibitions should be like
Bára Bjarnadóttir interviews Elsa Guðný Björgvinsdóttir on July 14th 2021. In the custody
of the guarantor of the project.
Bára Bjarnadóttir interviews Lilja Árnadóttir on July 23rd 2021. In the custody of the
guarantor of the project.
Bára Bjarnadóttir interviews Jónína Brynjólfsdóttir on August 9th 2021. In the custody of
the guarantor of the project.
Bára Bjarnadóttir interviews Elfa Hlín Sigrúnar Pétursdóttir on July 20th 2021. In the
custody of the guarantor of the project.