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This Nordic Life
The Nordic House, located just south of Lake Tjörnin, is an icon of lovely modern architecture and Nordic culture in Reykjavik. The natural warmth of the soft wood and clean designs that define so much of the Nordic aesthetic, reflects the inviting…
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Without this, I would have died
Contemporary dancer Erna Ómarsdóttir comes from Kópavogur, and is a lauded artist in her field. The Grapevine caught celebrated contemporary dancer Erna Ómarsdóttir on the phone from Zurich, where she is staging a show in collaboration with artist Gabríela Friðriksdóttir.“They’ve got money…
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Pride and Prejudice
The gay rights campaign in Iceland has been running since 1978. From an invisible group and an oppressed minority to a strong organisation and community, the Lesbians and Gay men in Iceland have now gained social and legal rights, which is celebrated…
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Fabulously Dragged to Rehab
The theme for this year’s Icelandic Drag Competition was “Opera Horror” and the Drag Queens of Reykjavík delivered. The new Queen, a satirical version of Amy Winehouse, was crowned with a fountain of applause, fantastic prizes and a shiny tiara. The man…
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The Future of Rock and Roll
With the world shrinking at a continuously faster pace, far away places are being exposed to western popular music and rock. Will this mean that the next pop music superstar is currently tuning his shitar on the streets of Mumbai? “I have…
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WANTED: Corpses or soon-to-be Corpses
Snorri Ásmundsson has the reputation of being Iceland’s most infamous artist. If one’s in doubt, his provoking pieces must authenticate his fame. He caused quite a stir selling letters of absolution a few years ago, promising to absolve buyers of all sin.…
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Welcome to the Tropical Island of Iceland
Following an unusually squelching heat wave, temperatures topped out a blistering 26.2°C in Reykjavík on July 30th, breaking the all-time hottest record for the capital city. It was a surreal experience for tourists, some of whom espoused incredulity with actually getting a…
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The Foreigner’s Guide to Icelandic Colleges
Many consider the choice of studying in Iceland as somewhat of an oddity, but the main attraction must lie in the modest tuition fees and the rather lenient admission qualifications. These facts could possibly undermine one’s expectations to a decent study on…
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Yet Another Icelandic Monster: Marbendill
Last issue, we learned about fatal underwater horse Nykur, who likes to lure folks to a watery grave using a combination of charm and adhesive skin. This week’s amphibian is an altogether more benign being; although he’s still kinda sinister, the Marbendill…
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The List
Top 5 Icelandic Films Bryndís was born in Reykjavík in 1987, and lived in Vesturbær, Akureyri and London until she was 12. Her interest in music awoke at a young age and she now studies at The Icelandic Musicians Union (FÍH). She…
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Fairground in the Family
Taylors Funfairs are run by the sixth generation of British Fairground folk. Now in their 18th year in Iceland, their Tivoli in Hafnarfjörður is currently in full swing. David Taylor has been running the fair for 33 years and it has been…
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Grand Design for a Grand Institution
Hjálmar Ragnarsson, Director of The Icelandic Academy of the Arts (LHÍ), has been in the news a lot lately. He recently introduced a proposal for the academy’s new headquarters to be built by Reykjavík’s main shopping-street, Laugavegur, by 2011. The proposal was…
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Janus & Tinna
Janus Bragi Jakobsson and Tinna Ottesen are an Icelandic couple who have gained attention recently for the experimental underwater concerts they held during the four day warm-up proceeding the Roskilde Music Festival. The idea first arose in 1999 when Tinna was a…
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Lost in Iceland?
Google has mapped the moon, Mars and the sky, yet amazingly cannot provide a roadmap for Iceland. While every other European country has been road-mapped for years on its website, Iceland remains a black hole when it comes to finding directions to…
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Wake Up and Smell the Coffee
Cafe D’Haïti on Tryggvagata 16 was established last April and has been steadily gaining fans ever since. Owner Metahulsen returned to Iceland from Haiti with wife Elda and now finds himself keeping Reykjavík’s caffeine enthusiasts on their toes. Elda is the very…
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Another Icelandic Monster: Nykur
The creature we feature this month, for all your learning pleasures, is the horse-like amphibian Nykur. Try saying that slowly: Nykur. Ny-kur. It sounds kind of sinister rolling off your tongue. And that’s fitting, for Nykur is a sinister beast. In fact,…
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The List
Top 5 Spots In Iceland by Lucas Quesnel Keller Lucas is currently working as a chef at La Primavera and trying to finish up a four piece series for a young man who saw his work at Cafe Hljómalind. His friends at…
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A Necessary Evil
To a foreigner, the concept of a ‘Sveitaball’ can be confusing. The word “sveit” can be defined as “country” or “countryside”, and the word can literally be translated “country dance”. Which sounds innocuous enough (square dancing with neighbours and relatives to the…
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The Dog Day King
Quirky Icelandic comedian Snorri Hergill Kristjánsson is here to conquer your funny bone like a Viking capturing a village. Snorri Hergill is acclaimed for achieving second place in the stand-up competition, “Iceland’s Funniest Person,” and is currently gearing up for this year’s…
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How to Survive a Recession
As seemingly amusing as it may be that people would need rescuing from a catastrophe taking place only in their minds, that is sometimes the case. When you think about it a recession is not a “real” problem like a flood or…
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Mundi
Mundi Vondi, fashion designer, visual artist and fairly nice guy, is most widely known for his role in the controversial artistic group MoMS (who have used their own urine as a tool of art and comfort more than once) and his futuristic…
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A Real Horrorshow
Well, where to begin? While I’m sitting here in my bed at 4AM on a Sunday night, still smelling of beer and other odorous liquids, I still remember the moment when we entered the 9-hour-from-Reykjavík town, Neskaupstaður, which had already begun transforming from this…
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Introducing: Hugleikur and the Monsters
We spoke about the need to enlighten our English-speaking friends on the joys of Iceland’s sinister creatures, and how they could be put to good use in arts, literature and music (as they have been). “I think the galore of old Icelandic…