A photograph of a remote island off Iceland by the German photographer, Chris Zielecki, will be the image of the ninth edition of the Punto de Vista Festival

The Punto de Vista Festival has the billboard for its forthcoming edition. In keeping with the tradition of using an image by a professional photographer to illustrate each edition, which was started in 2007, on this occasion the Lonely (explored) photograph taken by Chris Zielecki in Iceland has been chosen. The German photographer has transferred the rights to this photograph to the festival for use as the image of the ninth edition, which will be held in Pamplona from 10th to 15th February 2015. Clemente Bernad, Matías Costa, Ellen Koi, Vicent Fournier, Aaron Huey, Bill Brown, Sharon Lockhart and Marcin Ryczek have collaborated as photographers in previous editions.

The Lonely (explored) image shows a small islet called Ellidaey which forms part of the Westman archipelago, off the south coast of Iceland, a remote region that appeals to hikers and climbers, although its main attraction is the rich abundance of bird and marine life. 300 years ago, Ellidaey was inhabited by various families who survived by raising cattle and fishing until 1930. In 1953, the Ellidaey Hunting Association built the lodge that is seen in the image as a shelter for its members to hunt small penguins, known as puffins. This remote lodge has no electricity, Internet or indoor plumbing, but it does have a sauna supplied by a rainwater collection system. Many people mistakenly believe that the lodge belongs to the singer, Bjork, after being given it as a gift from the Government of Iceland in recognition of her promotion of the country. Some believe that it is a Photoshop creation or that it is inhabited by a secretive millionaire and even that it is an excellent refuge for a hypothetical zombi apocalypse.  Leaving these theories aside, what is true is that this small island represents a form of paradisiacal isolation that Punto de Vista pursues in its 9th edition with various retrospectives devoted to islands and to Margaret Tait, filmmaker with a fondness of small things and inhabitant of rocky and remote landscapes in her native Scotland. 

Born in Hamburg, Chris Zielecki took the Lonely (explored) image on 5th August 2009. The photographer remembers that moment: “I took this image in Iceland during a short flight to the Westman Islands off the south coast of the main island. Although it is close to the shore, I have never seen such an isolated place as this lodge on Ellidaey”.