Engeløya Sauna
‘Engeløya sauna’ is a mobile community sauna built by a group of youths on the island of Engeløya in Northern Norway. The project was produced and organised by Astrid Ardagh in the summer of 2021 and received funding from Frifond, The Red Cross Nordfold, UKL, The Young Culture Fund and Engeløya Grendelag. Engeløya sauna is currently run and used by the islands inhabitants.
The project was founded on three main ideas:
1) To create a meeting place for the community that would bring people outside and closer to nature.
2) To activate and educate young people; forming bonds and collaboration through the building process whilst providing carpentry skills.
3) To create a multipurpose community space and platform that can be used in connection with other cultural events, pop-up exhibitions, reading groups, sauna rituals etc.
Photo: Bjørn Anders Nymoen
Engeløya is situated in a very rural area in arctic Norway, where there are limited places for the inhabitants to meet up outside of peoples homes. The main motivation was therefore to build a space that would bring people together accross all ages and that could be in use all year round, especially in the cold and dark winter months. A sauna is the perfect space to nourish both the mind and body, whilst sharing stories or sitting in silent contemplation surrounded by the beautiful natural environment. Another important part of the project was to offer a practical educational experience through the building process, which was carried out by a group of young people with the guidance of two newly trained carpenters and an experienced sauna builder from Finland. In total there were over twenty people who participated in the construction process. It was a fun and educational joint project where the participants could learn new skills and make memorable experiences.
From the start we were certain that the space should be available to everyone and non-commercial and inclusive in nature. To make sure that the sauna was accessible to all the islands inhabitants we decided to make it mobile, allowing us to move it from village to village. We built the structure on a trailer and made a wish list where the members can request where the sauna should be moved to next. The mobility would also make it possible to use the sauna in connection with other events such as the annual festivals that take place on the island.
Another important element within the project was to use as much locally sourced and sustainable building materials as possible. We up-cycled an old tractor-trailer to use as the base and sourced the timber from the local forest manager. Our finish advisor Jarmo Aarrekangas designed and built the oven and chimney for the sauna. We also made sure to attach a drainpipe to the roof enabling us to collect rain water to be used on the oven.
Word of the sauna spread quickly throughout the municipality - the local and county newspapers wrote stories about the project, praising it highly. I also opened an instagram account (@engeloyasauna) where I documented the whole building process. Shortly after the opening I was contacted by two researchers who featured Engeløya sauna in their book ‘Badstufolk,’ the first of its kind - bringing together all the best saunas in Norway.
The sauna also has it’s own facebook group where members can communicate, take the initiative to meet and let each other know when the sauna is warm. Overall the project was a massive success. Everyone who participated in the building process gained new skills and most importantly had a lot of fun. The sauna has become a social hub, bringing people out of their homes, to meet and share experiences outdoors.
Havblikk
In June of 2022 Engeløya Sauna hosted it’s first cultural event ‘Havblikk/oceanview’ cureated by the collective EkkoEkko in collagoration with Eva Bakkeslett and Astrid Ardagh.
Ekko Ekko is a nomadic, social and interdisciplinary exhibition which gathered impressions from coastal areas in Northern Norway and Sápmi in association with Feststillene 2022.
The event and exhibition included sound works by Astrid Ardagh and Paula Megija Kārkliņa, a fishnet binding workshop, locally harvest sea food and latvian sauna rituals.
