Through the programme, they will have the opportunity to develop both their artistic practices and new projects in the lead-up to the festival. Audiences will already have the chance to meet them in October during Harstad Kulturnatt.
What is Iscenesatt? Iscenesatt is an interdisciplinary mentoring and development programme for young artists based in Nordland, Troms or Finnmark. Three artists are selected each year and receive artistic guidance, co-production support and access to new professional networks and sparring partners, among other opportunities. The projects are developed with the aim of being presented at the True Northern Arts Festival.
– This year’s three Iscenesatt artists work across dance, theatre, performance and visual art, and are entering the programme with three very different projects, says Mattis Øgård Månum, Performing Arts Producer at the True Northern Arts Festival.
Astrid Serine Hoel
Astrid Serine Hoel is based outside Kirkenes in Finnmark and is a choreographer and artistic director of Karhutanssi Dance Company. The company was established in 2025 and grew out of Karhutanssi/Bjørnedans, which Hoel choreographed for the True Northern Arts Festival in 2023.
– I am passionate about developing Kven dance and making it more accessible, and about creating strong collaborations between arts and cultural organisations in the North,” says Hoel.
Through Iscenesatt, she will develop the dance and concert performance Kahđeksen vuođenaika / Gávcci jagiáiggit / Åtte årstider. The project is being developed in collaboration with Scene Nord, Nordnorsk Jazzsenter, Vokal Nord, Stormen Konserthus, King Wings Crew and Karhutanssi Dance Company.
The performance will blend Kven, Sámi and Northern Norwegian music and dance with contemporary dance and breakdance. All the performers have connections to Northern Norway, and a local adult choir will also take part at each venue where the performance is presented.
– Together, we will explore how the eight seasons affect us physically and mentally, in a playful and energetic performance, says Hoel.
She is also delighted by the development of Kven performing arts since her work on Karhutanssi/Bjørnedans.
– At the time, a Kven dance performance had never been created in Norway before, but the festival chose to lead the way and invest in Kven dance. I am so pleased that demand for Kven, Sámi and Northern Norwegian performing arts continues to grow, she says.
Read more: Nytt utviklingsprogram: Iscenesatt
Mari Bø
Mari Bø is an interdisciplinary artist based in Tromsø. Her practice operates at the intersection of performance, visual art and dance, with the body as a central point of departure.
– I often work from my own body and use art as a tool to understand and challenge myself. I find it exciting to explore questions around gender and sexuality, and at the moment I am working extensively with motherhood as a theme, says Bø.
Through Iscenesatt, she will develop an installation for the True Northern Arts Festival.
– For next year’s festival, I will create an installation that will largely be woven together from different materials such as wool, steel wire and sheep’s hair, says Bø.
Ine Mariel Solrød
Ine Mariel Solrød is from Sandstrand in Troms and works at the intersection of the documentary and the poetic, the performative and the applied.
Through the project Sola er en rød kjempe, she will use Iscenesatt to further develop her work as a playwright and actor.
– I want to create theatrical experiences that touch, move and enrich people, and that stay with you in the body, says Solrød.
She enjoys working collectively and experimentally, and describes the creative processes and the people involved in them as an important part of her work.
– I like working collectively, experimentally and through devised processes on creative projects, and being part of processes together with real, honest and imperfect people, she says.
Her ambition for the future is clear:
– My future goal is to become a bold voice in the theatre industry – someone many people want to work with, says Solrød.
Meet the artists at Harstad Kulturnatt
You do not have to wait until next year’s festival to get to know the three artists better. On Friday 23 October, Astrid Serine Hoel, Mari Bø and Ine Mariel Solrød will meet audiences during Harstad Kulturnatt.
Harstad Kulturnatt fills the town centre with art and culture in both established and unconventional venues. The event is free and runs from 5 pm to 11 pm.
More information about where and how you can meet the Iscenesatt artists will follow.
The Iscenesatt development programme is supported by:
