Margrét Bjarnadóttir’s Perfect Day In Reykjavík

Margrét Bjarnadóttir is a choreographer and visual artist. She recently wowed the audience at Reykjavík City Theatre with her choreographed piece “No Tomorrow,” a collaboration with artist Ragnar Kjartansson which presents a group of girls dancing ethereally whilst playing guitar. Get to the theatre by the 9th April to watch its final performances.

“I live in Vesturbær (on the west side of Reykjavík) by the seaside and my studio/office is on the opposite side of the centre,” said Margrét. “So my days are usually spent between those two places.”

First thing in the morning:

I wake up. The light is gorgeous and very still. I make coffee and take it down to the shore where I sit on a black rock, drinking my black coffee, looking at the sea and the light on the mountains which is never the same. It’s an extreme place that works as an amplifier for both beauty and brutality. I think about getting a kayak. Once I finish my coffee, I feel unusually connected with myself and the big picture, so I sit down at the desk in the living room and write for a few hours.

For lunch:

On the days I’m working at home, I might go to Kaffihús Vesturbæjar for their highly addictive tuna tartine. Kaffi Vest is one of those places that’s opened in my area in the past few years and simply made it better. If I’m there for dinner I usually get the vegan burger.

In the afternoon:

I bike to the Marshall House in the harbour area to look at contemporary art. I feel like Reykjavík instantly became 30% better when the Marshall House opened a few weeks ago— such an exciting and positive addition to the city and the cultural life. I drop by at my friends’ art studio across the road and just laugh for about 45 minutes.

I stop at Borðið on Ægisíða 123 to grab their raspberry cake—something I get a very regular craving for. I walk or bike along the seaside on Ægisíða all the way to Öskjuhlíð, without having to cross a road. This is my perfect day, so I’m lying in the woods in Öskjuhlíð, eating the raspberry cake, reading poems by Tomas Tranströmer and writing in my diary. Damn, this is a good day!

For dinner:

Today I’m going to Snaps. It’s just consistently good, the food and the atmosphere …The confit du canard …

In the heat of the night:

I head to Mengi on Óðinsgata, which often has interesting concerts or performances in a wonderfully intimate setting. My friend, Kristín Anna, is playing songs from her upcoming album, ‘I must be the devil’. We feel so full of spirit after the concert that we don’t feel like going home. Someone suggests the “nameless pizza place” on Hverfisgata for some cocktails. Then we dance.

Top Picks:

Kristín Anna concert
Friday, 14 April, 21:00, Mengi, 2.500 ISK

Hatari x Andi
Friday, 7 April, 21:00, Hurra, 1.500 kr

Thousand Years of Silence
Sunday, 9 April, 21:00, Mengi, 2.900 kr