Noise From Iceland

Musician, musicologist and sound producing enthusiast originally from Poland, living in Iceland.


I came up with the idea for this project when I was a tour guide at Raufarholshellir lava tube, fascinated by how people – some visitors that were on my tours – who can’t see, experience Iceland through their other senses.


It is, indeed, a picturesque place. In fact, the most beautiful on Earth. But there is so much more. Sounds. Textures. Smells.


So I thought: most people know what Iceland looks like. But how many people know what Iceland sounds like?


That made me decide to collect sounds and create an audio map of the island. The sound here is rich. However, I quickly realized that szum/niður – the noise is prevailing.


The beginning of sound collection coincided with the global lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, which is why most of the places visited were empty. This void was thrilling, but it gave animals and nature space to finally speak, undisturbed and unpolluted.


This is work in progress. For the best experience I recommend listening to the sounds with headphones on.