Islanders
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On The Ground With An Icelandic War Photographer
Óskar Hallgrímsson documents the brutal reality of war in Ukraine “I’ve seen this happen slowly — the evolution of it becoming a day-to-day thing. This building fell down, that person died under that bus stop — it just becomes life,” says photographer…
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The Joy Of Milk: Sauðagull Puts Sheep Milk On The Map
At the southern tip of Lagarfljöt lies Fljótsdalur, a scenic river valley carved out by meltwater from the northern edge of Vatnajökull. It’s a wild and storied place, with a glacier research centre, a writer’s retreat, and a monastery dating back to…
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The Bane Of Big Fish: Helgi Seljan On Life As An Investigative Journalist
“It’s not always as glamorous as people might think,” says Helgi Seljan as I meet him at the spacious RÚV headquarters. Having started as a deckhand in his hometown of Reyðarfjörður, Helgi has grown into one of the country’s most influential investigative…
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No Museum Left Behind: Katie Teeter’s Quest To Visit Every Museum In Iceland
Some people love a good challenge. For some, it’s pounding pints in every bar of Laugavegur on a Friday night. For an American expat Katie Teeter, it’s ticking off a museum every week. She’s already hit around 70 exhibitions, juggling her day…
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A Life Dictated By Ducks
Íris Indriðadóttir and Signý Jónsdóttir of Studio Erindrekar built their design practice — and their lives — around the nesting season of wild eiders “We are product designers…,” says Íris Indriðadóttir, smiling from Seyðisfjörður over a video call, “But we’re also eider…
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Becoming Icelandic: Gamithra Marga On Emotional Language Learning And Building TVÍK
Gamithra Marga’s relationship with Iceland is a bit of a love-hate affair. Over the years, it’s been a mix of both obsession and discomfort. Originally from Estonia, she learned Icelandic without ever attending a formal institution. In 2022, Gamithra won the entrepreneurship…
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Running Against The Odds: Meet Iceland’s First Running Wear Brand
“What’s special about the Icelandic runner is that they are a specific kind of runner who is really affected by their surroundings. They’re ready for anything,” says fashion designer Guðmundur Magnússon as I meet him and his business partner in their studio…
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Your Favourite Place, In A Glass
Kjartan and Sveinn of Grugg & Makk capture the flavours of Iceland with their wild ales “It’s a little bit too much work to be a hobby, but not quite enough to be a full-time job,” says Kjartan Óli Guðmundsson, laughing as…
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A Life In The Trees: Meet Christmas Tree Farmer Guðmundur Sigurðsson
For some, Christmas isn’t complete without snow, but for me there’s no festive season without a Christmas tree. In my quest to find an authentic, Iceland-grown Christmas tree, I reached out to Guðmundur Sigurðsson, a farmer who cultivates a pine forest in…
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Chosen By Music: Meet Organist And Conductor Erla Rut Káradóttir
As I walk into Háteigskirkja, or as I would casually refer to it, “the spiky church,” I’m greeted by an incredible sight — the sun is setting over the city, its rays radiating through the church’s large windows, drawing me in. “I…
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Recipes And Memories From The Coocoo’s Nest
“There was a cult for breakfast burritos,” says Íris Ann Sigurðardóttir as I point out the famous recipe in the newly printed The Coocoo’s Nest cookbook. Lucas Keller, her husband, smiles in agreement. “There was a period where our boys would gauge…
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Art You Can Eat: Pola Sutryk Is Blurring Lines Between Food And Art
“I’m a multidisciplinary artist, food artist, cook, chef, forager. It definitely changes depending on the context — it’s all of these things at once and neither at the same time,” says Pola Sutryk, by way of explaining what she does. “I just…
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Original Sleepy Girl Turns Daily Life In Iceland Into Meme Gold
If you look beyond the endless waterfalls and geothermal springs, living in Iceland can, at times, be just plain brutal. From wallet-draining bills when eating out to weather that triggers seasonal affective disorder (no matter the season), the reality of living on…
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Against Puffin Hunting: Meet Seabird Researcher Erpur Snær Hansen
Erpur Snær Hansen navigates long hours and an uncertain future with the cutest study subjects “I haven’t taken a decent vacation in 15 to 20 years,” admits Erpur Snær Hansen, as he joins me on a call from Heimaey, the largest island…
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The Herb Whisperer Next Door
Kolbrún Björnsdóttir is nothing short of a modern-day potion maker Tucked away amid the bustle of Reykjavík’s Laugavegur shopping street lies Jurtaapótek, a herbal apothecary that has been introducing Icelanders and tourists to the healing power of herbs since 2004. At its…
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Fermenting For Change
Julia and Björk are unlocking the potential of organic waste with their startup, Melta “I love talking about soil and getting other people interested in soil,” says soil scientist Julia Brenner as we sit outside, enjoying the rare moment of Reykjavík sunshine.…
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A Chair Is All You Need
Carpenter artist Dorka Csora is obsessed with wood “I mopped the floor for you,” smiles Dorka Csora as she welcomes me into her woodworking studio at the hafnar.haus creative space. “Usually, it’s a few centimetres of sawdust,” she remarks, proud of the…
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Prints, Dreams And A Rusty Old Van
Freshly screen printed art just for you One day early in May, I found myself in a random parking lot in Fossvogur, searching for an old van. There it was, drawing me closer like a magic chest. Bright green on the outside…
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The Student Has Become The Teacher
Derek Terell Allen moved to Iceland to learn the language — now he teaches it I first heard about Derek Terell Allen after my first ever Icelandic class at The Tin Can Factory, one of the language schools in Reykjavík. An American…
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Death’s Symphony
Pétur Guðmann Guðmannsson’s one-man-show in the autopsy room “We have every kind of case here in Iceland — every chapter of the forensics book, everything besides train accidents,” Pétur Guðmann Guðmannsson, Iceland’s only forensic pathologist, says matter-of-factly as we meet at his…
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Passions In Progress: How Bergur Þórisson Created His Own Luck
Bergur Þórisson talks trombones, Björk and vintage espresso machines “This is my Covid project,” Bergur Þórisson says as he welcomes me into his Grandi studio on a crisp October morning. Musical director for Björk, Grammy-nominated engineer and a member of the neo-classical…
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Inside Chef Gral’s Kitchen
The secret ingredient is youth “Definitely slicing,” says Gauti Einarsson when I ask what skills are most important for a newbie chef. I’ve barely finished my question when he’s already expertly sliced all the vegetables lined up on the chopping board. With…
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A Day Out With A Local Beekeeper
“Hold your ear next to the beehive,” says Torbjörn Andersen as we arrive at his beeyard, hidden behind the trees just outside the Skaftholt farm in south Iceland. “You can hear them buzzing. It tells me they’re okay.” Unlike me, Torbjörn is…