Stonework courses in Hafnir attract 140 people

Stonework courses organised by Sveinn Enok Jóhannsson in Hafnir, a settlement in Reykjanesbær, have attracted 140 participants, mbl.is reports. The attendees have included members of parliament, police chiefs and people on parole wearing ankle monitors.

Sveinn, who works for the company Fornverk in Hafnir, said the idea began about 10 years ago, when he repeatedly planned to attend a stonework course in Skagafjörður but family circumstances prevented him from travelling north.

Instead, he decided to organise a course himself. Hafnir has many stone walls and ruins, and the settlement has been inhabited since the time of Iceland’s settlement and earlier, he said.

Sveinn contacted landscape gardening master Kristín Auður Kelddal Elíasdóttir after searching online for an instructor. He said it took four weeks to persuade her to take on the work, but that she eventually visited Hafnir and was impressed by the available materials.

Two courses were held in the first year and four in the second. A contracting company from Selfoss sent five employees to one of them. Sveinn later lost his job and was able to focus fully on the stonework project, applying for several grants to support it.

The eighth course ended on Sunday. Four of the courses focused on stonework under Kristín’s supervision, while two covered the construction of driftwood frames, taught by master carpenter Snædís Traustadóttir. She is also a specialist in the maintenance of old houses and studied the subject in Norway.

The remaining two courses were taught by Dan Snow, an American guest instructor who taught participants to create artworks from stone. Sveinn said he plans to continue organising courses.