Recently, it was announced that Þóranna Dögg Björnsdóttir has been appointed project manager for one year in the field of academic development at LHÍ.

Þóranna will manage the development project of the University of the Arts and the University of Reykjavík on the establishment of a joint BA course in Digital Creativity, Interactive Media and Animation. The project received a grant of 64 million ISK earlier this year from the University, Industry and the Ministry of Innovation to strengthen the cooperation of universities. It is estimated that the admission of the first students of the new study program will be in the fall of 2024.

Þóranna Dögg is an artist working across music, fine art and digital media. She completed a final diploma in classical piano at the FÍH School of Music and a BA from the Hljóð&Mynd (ArtScience) study programme at the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague, as well as an M.Art.Ed in arts education from LHÍ. Þóranna's works have been performed widely and she has appeared at many concerts and arts festivals in Iceland and abroad. She has worked as a permanent art teacher in primary schools, has designed and taught courses in the Department of Music, the Department of Fine Art and the Department of Arts Education at LHÍ, and has taught at Lýðskólinn á Flateyri. She has also supervised students at both BA and MA level at LHÍ. Þóranna has experience in the artistic direction of film projects, in production and as assistant director on film and advertising projects, and ran the film workshop Kinosmiðja for several years together with the artist Rebecca Erin Moran. She therefore has a wide knowledge of digital media and project management. Þóranna is a member of the Icelandic Composers' Society, Myndhöggvarafélag Reykjavíkur and SÍM, sat on the board of the Living Art Museum for three years and was one of two curators of the Sequences art biennial in 2020.

Þóranna's main tasks are the maintenance of the work of the steering committee and focus groups of the development project, communication with economic and professional parties, data analysis and strategic planning, as well as follow-up to the existing work process on the establishment of a new study programme and reporting. It is a matter of great anticipation for the University of the Arts and the University of Reykjavík to develop and implement this progressive joint learning path based on specialization that connects methods within film art, design, visual arts, programming, computer graphics, artificial intelligence and psychology in an innovative way.

We warmly welcome Þóranna to work and look forward to the cooperation.