NES-Skagaströnd
Iceland

In August 2025 Mandy travelled quite literally to the ends of the Earth, to spend 4 weeks in a fabulous Artist in Residence programme alongside nine other artists from all over the globe. Nestled on the north west coast of Iceland, Skagaströnd is a very small and remote village which experiences all 4 seasons in one hour at times. 

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Following on from her work in Peru, Mandy began by harvesting native plants to create pigments - this time predominantly berries and lichen, as there were virtually no trees to be found. The colours were very surprising, and like Peru, completely reflected the landscape itself. 

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In Peru the most present things were the trees and insects, and in Iceland it was the Arctic Tern which made itself very, very known. They had a damn good go at killing her when she tried to run along the coastline on her first morning in Skagaströnd. The sky was alive with their calls and it was really quite terrifying to attempt to walk along the shoreline. This tiny bird will even take on polar bears.

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Then, halfway through the Residency they left. And the skies were quiet.

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They began their annual 70,400km round trip from Iceland to Antarctica. In their life time, they will fly the distance of the moon and back 3 times, making them the longest frigate bird in the world.

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In Iceland, everything felt fleeting and there was a strong sense of impermanence – the weather, the wildlife, and even the houses on the land felt like they were only going to be there for a heartbeat.  It was this essence that Mandy attempted to capture in her work.