Hidden ethnography
The search for Iceland’s huldufólk
Origins
Hidden in plain sight
Beyond Iceland’s misty fjords and lava plains are stories of a mysterious people living in the rocks. Known as the huldufólk (hidden people), these tales stretch back generations to the time when Viking ships first came to shore.
Many Icelanders who’ve claimed to see them say they’re identical to humans, but often describe them as wearing 19th-century rural clothing, mirroring Iceland’s history of poverty under Denmark’s colonial rule.
Background
600+
Folktales of hidden people
397,626
Iceland's population
45%
Wilderness area in Iceland
The Problem
Modern research misses the mark
Institutions like the University of Iceland conducted surveys with closed questions about belief in the hidden people, but Icelanders were reluctant to give a definitive yes/no answer. These outdated surveys still guide the narrative of Icelandic folk belief today, altering public perception in Iceland and abroad.
Focusing on belief percentages alone risks trivializing traditions, oversimplifying folklore, and failing to understand its role in shaping a complex Icelandic identity.
Survey data
2007
Last survey conducted
50
Total survey questions
6%
Icelanders claiming belief
Research objective
Challenge the narrative
I laced up my hiking boots and set off to Iceland in search of the hidden people beyond a simple yes/no.
Harnessing ethnography, I asked: how might the hidden people relate to the landscape, and how does this relationship impact Icelandic identity?
Tasks
Interview Icelanders
Visit specific locations
Gather on-site research
Fieldwork
Seen and unseen
For 2 months, I documented sites connected to the hidden people through interviews, sketches, field notes, video, and photography. Enduring freak storms and banshee-like wind, I reached a surprising destination.
The hidden people aren’t connected to the landscape, they are the landscape itself. Their presence seen and unseen feeds the island, giving it meaning. They are the land personified, a symbol of a shared Icelandic identity.
Research
12 Icelanders
Interviewed around the island
8 sites
Visited and documented
30+ hours
Interviews / field recordings
In the studio
Bringing folklore to life
After processing my research, I curated an ethnographic exhibition to invite new audiences to experience the hidden people.
My visual documentation also inspired a series of artworks featured alongside the research, including maps, charcoal drawings, sculptures, and a topographic installation. Art became a discourse for Icelandic folk traditions and their relevance in contemporary society.
Exhibition
500+ visitors
Reception attendance
30 objects
Featured art and fieldwork
2+ events
Research panel discussions
Epilogue
Protecting the hidden
In Iceland, folklore is written on the land. Every mountain and fjord is a story of shared heritage. My ethnographic study came to an unexpected conclusion: the hidden people make us consider how storytelling shapes who we are.
Folklore compels us to protect our own cultural landscapes, reminding us that the unseen often holds the deepest meaning.
Let's explore and create together
Made with a compass and a pot of Earl Grey by Ian Wright, 2025
