Monstery is a continuously changing installation that transforms unwanted thoughts into sculptural beings. The work is built on a simple yet radical idea: that what we carry in silence, what remains unsaid, uncomfortable, or too heavy to show, can take on physical form and become part of a shared space.

The process begins with the visitors. They are invited to write down a thought that has been stuck, a thought that has not found its outlet. This confession is not preserved as text; instead, it is fed into the Mental shredder, where its meaning fragments and becomes material for the monsters. The words lose their voice but gain a new existence as raw material. From the torn paper remnants emerges the foundation of monsters that gradually grow within the exhibition space.

Participants are welcome to come and shred unwanted thoughts at any time during opening hours, and over the artists’ presence (12–18 on weekdays and 12–17 on weekends) they can take a more active role in the sculptural process.

In the final exhibition on Friday the 13th of March we gather, toast to our Monsters, and bid them farwell.

Monster Factory is the culmination of several years of exploration in participatory art. Helga Ósk Hlynsdóttir and Karen Briem previously hosted Monster Factory workshops for children, where playful creativity and sculptural making turned stories and emotions into creatures. Over time, they received frequent requests to host a participatory event for adults — and now, for the first time, this expanded version is realised.

This evolution demonstrates the artists’ interest in transforming personal narratives into material form, emphasising process, collaboration, and collective installation. Adults are invited into the same imaginative, hands-on practice, where burdens and ideas can be shaped, reimagined, and given life as sculptural monsters.