On Wednesday, November 27, at 5:00 PM, the Aurora Foundation’s pop-up market opened. There, you can find beautiful, handcrafted design products created by artisans in Sierra Leone and designed by Icelandic designers. At the same time, a photography exhibition by Ragnar Axelsson, RAX, opened in the same space, showcasing images from his visit to Sierra Leone last year. The market will be open Wednesday–Saturday from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM until Christmas at Mýrargata 41.
Since 2017, the Aurora Foundation has fostered collaboration between Icelandic designers and artisans in Sierra Leone. The main goal is to provide artisans with steady employment, enabling them to create a dignified livelihood through their craftsmanship and skills. At the same time, Icelandic designers gain valuable opportunities to learn, share knowledge, and contribute. The project has been fortunate to work with renowned Icelandic designers such as Hugdetta, Farmers Market, and Ker Reykjavík.
The result is a unique collection of design products made from wicker, ceramics, and textiles, all handcrafted using local, natural materials. The products are sold in Iceland and further afield in Europe and the United States under the Sweet Salone brand. They make excellent Christmas gifts for environmentally conscious individuals or anyone who appreciates beautiful homes while supporting a good cause. In addition to the pop-up market, selected products are available at Kokku, Epal, Bast, the Icelandic Design Museum, and online at Sweet Salone’s webshop, www.sweet-salone.com.
Regína Bjarnadóttir, Aurora Foundation’s Managing Director:
“It has been incredibly rewarding to work in Sierra Leone on building this connection between the artisans and the Icelandic designers. Through hard work and close collaboration with both the designers and the artisans, we have created beautiful design products that have a market beyond Sierra Leone. It is very important to us that we are increasing knowledge, connecting people, and creating jobs, as we believe this is the best way to achieve our humanitarian goals and make a lasting impact on the artisans’ quality of life. We look forward to welcoming guests to the Christmas market, sharing the story of the project, and offering them the chance to purchase Christmas gifts that support this vital work.”
