This archive, consisting of thousands of photos, interviews, transcriptions and sketches, was created by historian Håvard Dahl Brattrein after he and five other researchers visited coastal communities in northern Norway where they documented egg and down collecting, eider smoking and also hunting and trapping of seabirds.

In this exhibition, we take the Seabird Archive back to island communities in Nordland. We travel on a seafaring tour from Vega to Brønnøysund, Træna, Givær and Bodø. In Bodø, the exhibition will be shown during Forbundet kystens landsstevne July 18-21.

We want to "bring home" the knowledge about seabirds that has existed in local communities through many generations of islanders. The exhibition also aims to put a spotlight and perspective on today's challenging situation for both people and seabirds along the coast.

Through the tour, we want to create pride and a sense of belonging to an ancient coastal culture linked to gathering, harvesting and reciprocity in the relationship between people, birds and nature.

In the Seabird Archive on Heimvei, we also offer workshops for children and young people about seabird life before and now. There will be open communication and dialog for everyone who is interested in the places visited.  

The exhibition Seabird archive on the way home is developed and designed by bird watcher and artist Vibeke Steinsholm / Vega and architect Magnus Vågan / Brønnøysund.

The exhibition is part of the seabird project Sound of Silence, which is Vegaøyan World Heritage's contribution to Bodø24. Fuglan Veit by ethnologist Bente Sundsvold UIT is also a collaborative project.