amerískur

AMERÍSKUR: THE BOOK

2011-08-24T16:30:00.003Z

Two years late, but we finally followed through with our grand plan to publish a photo book from our time spent in Iceland. This book was really made for our own personal coffee table, but we decided to make it public in case someone might want a copy for themselves. It has very little text, nice large photos, and a glossary and map in back for explanation and location reference. 123 pages, full color, hard cover. A much nicer way to browse photos than our Flickr page.

Direct link: www.lulu.com/product/lulustudio-photo-book/amer%c3%8dskur-life-and-landscape-in-iceland-2008-2009-2011/16670925

Tune In Next Time...

2011-06-15T22:18:00.000Z

Åsbyrgi: Capital of the Hidden People

2011-06-15T21:35:00.015Z

As Icelandic legend has it (as told to us by our friend in the North, Ólafía) the Hidden People are descendants of Adam and Eve, just like the rest of us. But, on one fateful day, God dropped in for an unexpected visit and Eve, having only half of her children properly cleaned for the Almighty's presence, told the dirty ones to hide. God, being the all-seeing and all-knowing entity was not fooled by such earthly tactics, and thus banished the dirty (hidden) children to a hidden life. They would forever on live in a world mirroring ours, where up is down, right is left, and seen is unseen.

It is said that the Hidden People only show themselves in times of dire need (or to lend a helping hand to humans in moments of desperation), that they are like us but more beautiful and well-to-do, and that their capital city is in Ásbyrgi. We took it upon ourselves to investigate and present to you the following proof:

cliff dwellings

forested valley

no shortage of places to hide

dense forest

centrally located water source

waterfall falling UP! (also note bird flying SIDEWAYS!)

a hidden person?!

an entrance?

the final proof: A DANCE FLOOR

Iceland (Revisited)

2011-06-15T21:18:00.011Z

We had the opportunity to make a short visit back to Iceland to see some of our favorite pals, sights, and festivities.... and incidentally just in time for a fresh volcanic eruption and the coldest Spring Iceland has experienced in some 40 years. But, as they like to say in Iceland: "There's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing." Words to live by.

Reykjavík as seen from Hallgrímskirkja

inside Grjótagjá

the waffle wagon

midnight sun explosion

Bless Bless og Sjáumst!

2009-07-01T10:05:00.010Z

Above photo features: Lopapeysas (Icelandic sweaters), Icelandic protest t-shirt, puffin t-shirt, strawberry Skyr, Þorskalýsi (cod liver oil), and midnight-sun-appropriate eye-wear

This is our final post. We leave the island today. Goodbye to all our wonderful friends that we've met along the way. We will miss you and we will miss Iceland.

Það var mjög skemtilegt að vera hér!!!

Sincerely,
Jess og Ben

Hornstrandir: Bugs, Blisters, and More Bugs Oh My!

2009-06-24T13:36:00.036Z

our route into the Icelandic wilderness

We heard wondrous things about Hornstrandir, the deserted northernmost part of the West Fjords (now a nature preserve) so we decided to embark on a two-day adventure into the Icelandic wilderness. As there are no roads in Hornstrandir, this involved driving to Ísafjörður, taking a Sunday ferry to Hesteyri (an old settlement in Hesteyrarfjörður, on the south coast of Hornstrandir), spending two days hiking and camping, and getting picked up by the next ferry on Tuesday morning at Sæból (an old settlement in Aðalvík bay on the east coast).

Day 1:

We arrived at Hesteyri at approximately 3pm and began our hike to Aðalvík. The hike was to take around 6 hours and as we had beautiful, clear blue skies and a full 24-hours of daylight (it was after all the summer solstice), we began right away and expected to take our time getting there. About one hour into the hike Jess was the proud new owner to two mega blisters, one on each heel.

Nonetheless, we kept a move on. Though in discomfort, the hike was still manageable, and hiking barefoot through glacial streams seemed to dull the pain somewhat.

It wasn't until around 4 hours into the trek, as we were descending into the valley leading to Aðalvík, when the fun really began. Enter GNATS!

These little buggers made the rest of our hike unbearable. They swarmed in our faces, crawling in our eyes, up our noses, and inside our ears. We thought at first we had just entered a gnat zone and that it would soon be over. Little did we know the next two days would be experienced through a filter of gnat bodies.

So after hiking down the mountain, through a waterfall, and body-sliding down an ice cliff, we found ourselves in a marshland - AKA Gnat Central. We booked it as fast as we could toward the coast, but could hardly open our eyes to see where we were going. And while our destination was in sight, getting there was a long and tedious experience. By the time we made it to the coast Jess could hardly walk anymore so we made camp on the beach thinking that the ocean breeze might deter our pesky followers. No such luck. From this point onward we were tent-bound.

We did manage to get out of our tent around 00:00 to witness the midnight sun.

Day 2:
We were fortunate to have a light breeze in the morning so we could actually have breakfast in peace. But soon after the rain began, so we spent most of the late morning in the tent. By around 2pm the rain had stopped and we decided to start a day hike up the coast to Skáladalur in search of the much talked about Arctic Foxes (and offspring) of Hornstrandir.

fox den?

From the moment we left the tent and continuously for the next three hours our faces became gnat hotels. We made it as far as we could until the trail seemed to end at a bird cliff inhabited by Great Black-backed Gulls. Then the storm clouds rolled in and we retreated toward our beachfront property. We spent the rest of the evening in the tent, only venturing out to face the gnats to cook dinner and relieve ourselves in the wilderness (just making sure to stay out of view of the summer houses).

Day 3:
The ferry was to pick us up at 10am from Sæból, so we postponed taking down the tent (our one and only shelter from the gnats) until the last possible moment. We made our way to the beach around 9:30 (as instructed) and waited in a swarm of gnats until 10:45, when we were finally able to board the escape vessel. As we left the beach I said "take us away from the flies!" and an Icelandic woman who has been staying at a summer house in Sæból looked at me quizzically and said "and you did not have a bug mask?" I guess we should have been more specific when we called ahead to the tourist office to ask about hiking conditions and wildlife in the region. In true Icelandic fashion, since we didn't ask specifically about face-burrowing gnats, they didn't feel the need to tell us to bring our bug masks. Live and learn…

But hey, check out all the Arctic Foxes we saw!!

BEWARE THE ARCTIC TERN!

2009-06-14T14:16:00.003Z

While revisiting Seyðisfjörður in the East Fjörds, we ventured out to Skálanes - a bird sanctuary on the tip of the peninsula. The area is closed most of the year, and is only accessible by foot or jeep in the summer as there are three rivers one must cross. This area is also the nesting grounds of billions of Arctic Terns which act as a security system for the lone guest house. We had the unfortunate privilege of experiencing the famed Arctic Tern's aggressive behavior.

Here are the Arctic Terns between us and the guest house.

They seem to be aware of our presence and are letting out their shrill cry to warn the others.

Jess is panting after running for dear life through the nesting grounds, and the others are still coming. Watch as the birds swoop down to attack the heads of predators, Dan and Erla.

Sjómannadagurinn

2009-06-12T16:17:00.009Z

Seaman's Day is an important holiday at the beginning of June which celebrates the Icelandic fisherman. The festivities include a day-long event complete with rowing races, competitive fishing related games, and (as usual) an all-night party. On the following day (this year, Sunday, June 7th) all fishing in Iceland is made illegal and all fishermen spend the day at home with their friends and families (occasionally nursing hangovers from the night before).

Here are some highlights from the 2009 Sjómannadagurinn in Skagaströnd:

Rowing Races

Net Mending

Relay Races

Tug of War

Pole Wrestling

Click here for more photos from Seaman's Day.

The Unique Adventure Tour

2009-06-12T13:44:00.010Z

The Bird Watching Tour from Stykkisholmer is a "Unique Adventure Tour" indeed. Aside from seeing Puffins, Skags, White-Tailed Eagles, and countless Eider Ducks the highlight of this boat tour is when the sailors drop the trawl and comb the seabed for fresh shellfish. Here are the highlights.

The net/trawl

The catch

Opening the scallops

A very confused scallop

The options include raw scallops, crab roe, and sea urchins with white wine to wash it down

Jess (the vegetarian) tries raw scallops for the first time

To see more pictures of birds, seals, lava, etc. on Snæfellsnes click here

The 13th Day Opening

2009-04-12T14:58:00.005Z

Here are a few images from our exhibition at Skaftfell Center for Visual Art, which opened yesterday and will be on view until June 7, 2009. To see more pictures of the exhibition click here.

Soundville

2009-04-06T14:37:00.004Z

After returning to Seyðisfjörður from a weekend trip along the east coast we were surprised to find that the quiet town had been transformed into "Soundville" and was in the midst of production for an upcoming Sony commercial. And, as it turned out, our home (the Skaftfell Art Center) was the star of the show.

Iceland's Economic Collapse: Fact, Fiction, and Opinion

2009-03-28T11:42:00.009Z

Here are several articles and opinions in response to the Vanity Fair article about Iceland's financial collapse (which makes some pretty hefty and ill-informed claims).

The Vanity Fair article: Wall Street on the Tundra

Jonas Moody (an American who has been living in Iceland for 7 years - writes for the Iceland Review , an English-language magazine about Iceland) in response to the Vanity Fair article printed in the New York Magazine: Vanity Fair's Fishy Tales from Iceland

The Iceland Weather Report (a blog about Iceland) details her experience with a reporter who is looking for "answers."

Another enraged Icelandophile's response to the Vanity Fair article on Counter Punch: Insolents Abroad by Gregory Burris

The March 9 issue of The New Yorker featured a well-researched article called "Letter from Reykjavik: Lost" by Ian Parker (not in response to Vanity Fair, but a good article about the kreppa). You can find the abstract here but to read the full article you have to be registered.

Breaking Yule Lad Update!!

2009-03-25T22:05:00.003Z

For further proof of the existence of Yule Lads, look no further than the Icelandic Phallological Museum for a "real" specimen of Bjúgnakrækir's unmentionables...

Phallological Museum

2009-03-25T21:26:00.013Z

Our visit to the northern town of Húsavík proved to be quite educational. . . anatomically. Among the many tourist attractions in this quaint village is the one and only Phallological Museum, which has much to offer those with a specific curiosity and sense of humor.

This is just the beginning of the not-so-subtle iconography.

The penis Altar

A wide array of species are on display. There is everything from very large whale penises to very small hamster penises. There was everything in between, as well: rams, sheep, cats, dogs, dolphins, polar bears, and boars. Human specimens are in contract.

Two specimens of whale penises mounted on wooden blocks.

The Icelandic National Handball Team (Silver Medalists in 2008 Olympics)

Visitors are welcome to browse through the gift shop and purchase any number of themed handicrafts, such as these scrotum lampshades!

View more specimens here.

"Macy's" Iceland

2009-03-23T21:39:00.009Z

Thanks to Paul McCarthy and Jason Rhoades there is now a near-to-life-sized Macy's (sculpture) blighting the untamed Icelandic countryside in Eiðar (in the east fjords). Quite the hidden treasure, "Macy's" is well concealed in an Icelandic forest off the road between Egilsstaðir to Borgafjörður and is accessible by foot via a short hike along a horse trail leading from the hotel/boarding school/art center in Eiðar.

The 13th Day: Jess Langley & Ben Kinsley at Skaftfell Art Center

2009-03-12T14:02:00.015Z

THE THIRTEENTH DAY
Jessica Langley & Ben Kinsley
April 11 - June 7
Opening: April 11 / 16:00
Skaftfell - Center for Visual Art

The Thirteenth Day exhibition at Skaftfell Center for Visual Art is a presentation of work created, both collaboratively and individually, by Jessica Langley and Ben Kinsley during their extended stay in Iceland. The title refers to Þrettándinn, the celebration held on the thirteenth day after Christmas when the last of the Yule Lads is said to return to the mountains after a holiday season of mischief - a transitional time between the imaginary and the everyday. Having the opportunity to experience the famous Þrettándinn celebration in the Westman Islands has proven to be a corner stone of the artists' time in Iceland. Both the event itself and the ideas it represents are reflected in the work featured in this exhibition.

Þrettándinn marks and end to a period where the imaginary commingles with daily life. It is at this same juncture, at the boundary between the supernatural and natural worlds, where Jessica Langley's work is situated. Her work draws from idealized nature photography, Romantic landscape painting, mythology, and new age spiritualism. It explores the in-between, the gray area, the liminal place between what is perceived as real and what is imagined.

The all-inclusive nature of the Westman Islands' Þrettándinn parade (featuring costumed performers, hundreds of enthusiasts, torches, fireworks, a raging bonfire, and the local search and rescue team) and the accompanying house parties, dances, and other community-wide celebrations is a more perfect realization of what Ben Kinsley attempts to achieve in his greater body of work. His staged events and performances are ongoing investigations into community interaction and creative play, often requiring a suspended disbelief on the part of participants and viewers.
..............................................................
Skaftfell - Miðstöð Myndlistar Á Austurlandi
Austurvegi 42
Seyðisfirði
s. 472-1632
www.skaftfell.is

Opnunartími Skaftfells:
Miðvikudaga og Fimmtudaga frá 13:00-17:00
Föstudaga til Sunnudaga frá 13:00-20:00

Nes Open Studios

2009-02-16T15:28:00.003Z

Nes Artist Residency Open Studios
Saturday, February 21
13:00
Fjörubraut 8, Skagaströnd

Featuring:
Natalia Black (Slovakia)
Lucas Gervilla (Brazil)
Michele Horrigan (Ireland)
Ben Kinsley (USA)
Jessica Langley (USA)
Sean Lynch (Ireland)
Lucy Mckenna (Ireland)

Þorrablót

2009-02-08T16:22:00.011Z

Þorrablót (Thorrablót) is an Icelandic winter festival and feast which takes place during the Old Icelandic month of Þorri (beginning late January and ending in late February). Þorrablót consists of a dinner of traditional Icelandic meat and fish dishes including, but not limited to, Svið (singed and boiled sheep's head), Hrútspungur (cured ram's testicles), and Hákarl (fermented shark). Festivities also include heavy drinking (preferably Brenevín), staged performances highlighting local gossip and an after-dinner ball.

Skagaströnd's annual Þorrablót feast took place on Saturday, Feb 7 at the town community center.

The meat spread

Ben's dinner plate

Aspiring local singer-songwriter

Musical performance about the recent Skagaströnd marijuana bust.

Performance about Thorgrimur Thrainsson, visiting writer at Nes artist residency.

Complete meal deconstruction available here and here.
More Þorrablót photos and videos here

THE END (of Chistmas)

2009-01-12T18:09:00.000Z

Threttándinn (the thirteenth) is the last day of the Icelandic Christmas season. This is the day when the last of the 13 Yule Lads return to their mountain home. This day is celebrated in all its glory in Vestmannaeyjar (on Heimæy in the Westman Islands).

The annual troll parade begins with a fireworks display from the mountains. The Yule Lads light their torches and descend upon the town. Meanwhile, a wagon full of trolls (giant costumes made of spray foam, furry sheep skins, blinking lights, and horns) arrive at the base of the mountain heckling the citizens and threatening to steal and eat all the bad children.

Once the Yule Lads meet the troll wagon, the parade begins. Hordes of people follow while others light fireworks along side of the parade. After the fire department aids the Yule Lads in refueling their torches a brief pause is taken while they visit the retirement center.

The parade leads to the local football pitch where a massive bonfire is lit and dozens of more trolls await the arrival of their kin.

As soon as the family is back together (Grýla, her husband Leppalúði, and the 13 Yule Lads) a band of fairies arrive skipping hand-in-hand and waving sparklers.

They dance around the fire...

...as the trolls continue to emotionally scar the children.

The night ends with another fireworks display. The trolls get back on their wagons and are carted away as the Yule Lads march to the harbor to extinguish their torches in the ocean.

The Christmas season is now officially over. Santa can hibernate until next year…

see more videos and photos here

Gleðilegt Nýtt Ár!

2009-01-01T19:43:00.000Z

The first rocket of the night

The last rocket of the night

Hestar - the Icelandic Horses

2008-12-30T18:05:00.000Z

After hearing how riding an Icelandic horse feels like you're riding a leather couch, we decided to give it a try (This was also Ben's Christmas present to Jess because he knows how much she wanted to go). We enrolled in the "Lava Tour" for beginners with a local stable, but decided to tag along with the faster group, despite not having much experience. "What better time to learn?" we both thought. There are no pictures during the ride because we were both holding on for dear life. Here we are after the ride. . . relieved.

Ben and Brown-Star

Jess and Glæsír

After a morning riding through Lava fields, we returned to the stables where the horses were happy to have us off their backs. This is Glæsír and Brown-star.

view more photos here

Gleðileg Jól

2008-12-28T17:57:00.000Z

Our Christmas tree at Seljavegur...

complete with a "Sausage Snatcher" ornament...

and a snowflake on top!

Jólasveinarnir - 13 Yule Lads

2008-12-14T16:12:00.004Z

In Icelandic Christmas tradition there are 13 Yule Lads (offspring of the horrible trolls Grýla and Leppalúði) who descend from their mountain home each year around Christmas (one each day beginning on December 12) to wreak havoc on townsfolk. Each lad is named after his mischievous action:

12 December: Stekkjastaur (Sheep-Cote Clod) - harasses sheep and has stiff peg-legs.
13 December: Giljagaur (Gully Gawk) - Hides in gullies and steals milk from the cowshed.

14 December: Stúfur (Stubby) - Abnormally short. Steals pans to eat the crust left on them.
15 December: Þvörusleikir (Spoon licker) - Steals and licks spoons.
16 December: Pottaskefill (Pot-Scraper) - Steals leftovers from pots.
17 December: Askasleikir (Bowl-Licker) - Hides under beds and steals and eats from bowls.
18 December: Hurðaskellir (Door-Slammer) - Slams doors during the night.
19 December: Skyrgámur (Skyr-Gobbler) - Will do anything for Skyr.
20 December: Bjúgnakrækir (Sausage Snatcher) - Hides in the rafters and snatches smoking sausages.

21 December: Gluggagægir (Window Peeper) - Looks through windows for things to steal.

22 December: Gáttaþefur (Door Sniffer) - Has an abnormally large nose and sniffs for laufabrauð (Christmas fried flat bread).

23 December: Ketkrókur (Meat Hook) - Steals meat with a hook.

24 December: Kertasníkir (Candle Beggar) - Follows children in order to steal their candles (which used to be made of tasty dripping).

see more about the Yule Lads here
all images courtesy of the Nýmjólk milk carton

Protests, Riots, Civil Unrest

2008-12-10T14:47:00.000Z

Every Saturday (since Oct. 6th) there have been public protests outside of parliament in downtown Reykjavík demanding the resignation of the government responsible for the crisis. Most have been peaceful, but some recent Saturday's have ended in riots and police macings. Here are some stories and video related to the ongoing unrest:

The day we started fighting back - Reykjavik Grapevine
Icelanders demand PM resign during violent protests - Reuters

Darkness

2008-12-09T15:09:00.000Z

We are down to about 5 hours of liminal daylight. Here is a picture at sunset...at 3pm. The light is like a constant sunset, but never gets very bright. See more photos here.

Ben took this Gigapan panorama of a 3:00 sunset from our balcony in West Town on Dec. 5th.

Sunrise/sunset timetable for Reykjavík

Icebergs and Glacial Tongues

2008-11-27T11:36:00.000Z

Skaftafell National Park in southern Iceland is home to Vatnajökull, the third largest glacier in the world (number 1 and 2 being in Antarctica and Greenland, respectively).

At the base of the glacier is Jökulsárlón, or the glacier river lagoon, where giant pieces of the glacier break off into iceberg chunks and float their way (via a river) into the ocean. Hordes of seals feed here among the icebergs as it is populated with fish who are pulled into the lagoon with the strong current.

Skaftafellsjökull is one of the several "glacial tongues" protruding from the vastness of Vatnajökull. Ben and Ian Ingram took this Gigapan panorama from Sjónarnipa lookout point (and see a video of the Gigapan device at work here)

Skaftafell is also home to several farms of turf houses and multiple waterfalls, including the famous Hundafoss (named in honor of the many dogs who have perished in its falls). Ian and Ben took this Gigapan of Svartifoss (see if you can find us hidden in the landscape like Elves).

More photos of Skaftafell and the southern coast can be found here

GIGAPAN + Iceland

2008-11-22T14:29:00.000Z

On November 21, Ben and Ian Ingram climbed to the top of Mt. Esja wielding Gigapan camera equipment and took the world's first Gigapan panorama of Reykjavik from above. See it here

They also captured this 360 degree panorama of graffiti in the west side of Reykjavik.

learn more about Gigapan here

Hveragerði (Part 2)

2008-11-14T15:03:00.000Z

We went back to Hveragerði to test out the natural hot springs we've heard so much about. There were several to choose from, but this one wasn't bubbling and steaming quite as much as the rest, and it was a nice milky blue color (like the Blue Lagoon). So we sent Andrew in to test the waters. After learning that his skin hadn't been scalded, we joined in the fun!

Plus, there was a great spot for naked mud pit jumping (our new favorite sport)! Check out the (censored) videos:

Election Night at Grand Hotel Reykjavík

2008-11-14T14:30:00.000Z

We spent Nov. 4th watching the presidential election returns at a party at the Grand Hotel sponsored by the US Embassy. It started at 9pm (GMT) and the final votes didn't come in until 4am (we were up until 6:00 watching the speeches on a special CNN broadcast on Icelandic TV).

The party was packed with Icelanders concerned with the results. They even seemed a little upset that they couldn't vote in this election (after all, BBC's election coverage tagline was "Their vote effects our world"). So the Embassy held a poll of their own, giving Iceland 3 Electoral College votes. The final count was 85% in favor of Obama. Needless to say there was much celebration when he won for real.

Sorry this post is so late - we forgot the camera and were trying to track down footage of the ridiculous musical acts from the night. Just imagine renditions of the theme song from "Rent," "Ain't nothin' but a Hound Dog," and "It's Raining Men" sung with an Icelandic accent.

Thanks to Andrew Zarou for the photos. You can see more here
Thanks to John Ratcliffe for lending us his camera for the evening. You can see our photos here

Crisis Update

2008-11-10T12:17:00.000Z

here is a NY Times article from Nov 20 about the $2.5 billion IMF bailout

here is a NY Times article from Nov 8 that pretty well sums up the crisis and its effects in Iceland

and here is a Nov 6 article from artnet on its effect on the arts

Halloween

2008-11-02T13:57:00.000Z

While we were met with some challenges this year (i.e. Icelanders don't truly celebrate Halloween and we had very limited means of support in the costume-making department) we did succeed at making a scene two nights in a row as GHOSTS:

These costumes proved to be quite popular with the beligerent masses. They were eventually pulled off of us on the dance floor and stolen... only to reveal our home-made SKELETON bodysuits that we were wearing underneath!

Hveragerði

2008-10-30T01:58:00.000Z

In a spur of the moment decision we drove to the nearby town of Hveragerði to check out their natural hot springs. We hiked through the snow along an unofficial trail and came across an amazing display of geothermal steam rising up through the earth. We followed a hot-water river to a bubbling and steaming mud pit. This volcanic hot spring was recently formed in last Spring's earthquake. See more picture here.

Mothers Project

2008-10-29T10:32:00.000Z

Mothers of Mt. Esja from Ben Kinsley on Vimeo.

On 25 October 2008 Ben Kinsley and Jessica Langley joined forces for their first ever collaborative project. Six new mothers arrived to sing the old and very well-known lullaby Sofðu Unga Ástin Mín to their babies by the sea. Click here to see photos from the event and here to watch a larger version of the video.

Special thanks to: Brynja Guðmundsdóttír, Magnea Brynja Magnúsdóttir, Sif Heiða Guðmundsdóttír, Hlín Pálsdóttir, Thórunn Sóley Björnsdóttir, and Sigríður Kristinsdóttír for their beautiful singing and for lending us their time. Joanna Langford, Gretchen Bennett for helping with photography.

Iceland Airwaves Music Festival, Reykjavík

2008-10-20T11:18:00.000Z

As most of this long weekend has merged together into one foggy approximation of a mildly good experience, I will attempt to give you our highlights of this four-day long music festival which took place in several tiny over-crowded venues scattered around 101 Reykjavík.

Wednesday: We saw several bands, but our favorites were Borko, Benni Hemm Hemm, and <3.Today could be described as - a symphony of trombones about 5 centimeters from your head.

Thursday: It was a delight to see Rökkurró at the the off-venue site of 12-Tonar music store which is also a record label and produces many of the bands that played at Airwaves. We also caught Florence and the Machine from the UK at the Reykjavík Art Museum, as well as the tail end of Finn from Germany.

Friday: Though our interest was beginning to wane, we were excited to see Seabear at the Reykjavík Art Museum (the big venue with many headliners). After waiting through many tiresome sound artists at a venue called Iðnó, we were pleasantly surprised to hear two compositions by the absent Nico Muhly performed by two artists who were present for the for Bedroom Community night. The first was an incredible vocalist while the second was Sam Amidon who performed a remixed version of an old American folk song "Two Sisters." Both were stellar performances and definitely the best music we heard at the festival.

Saturday: Despite being lead astray by the incredibly vague and inaccurate descriptions of some of the bands we managed to find one semi-precious gems in the mine. Our friend, David Berndsen's band was a pleasant surprise. Berndsen played at a tiny gallery off-venue called Tutti Bene. We wouldn't know about any of the other bands we tried to see because after waiting 45 minutes in the freezing cold, we decided to call it quits. That's the end of the epic saga of Iceland Airwaves 2008.

In Morgunblaðið (again)

2008-10-16T13:53:00.001Z

This pic of us enjoying a show by Borko at Iceland Airwaves was featured on the back page of Morgunblaðið - Iceland's national newspaper.

This is already our second time in the paper. The first time was about our open-studios in Skagaströnd (photos are of Ben's "Yee-Haw" and Jess's paints):

Imagine Peace

2008-10-11T00:56:00.000Z

Yoko Ono's Imagine Peace Tower is a "tower of light" located on Viðey Island in Reykjavík. It was a project conceived by John Lennon and Yoko Ono years before his death and was realized by Yoko Ono in 2007 in collaboration with the Reykjavík Contemporary Art Museum. The light tower stays illuminated annually from October 9th (Lennon's birthday) and December 8th (day of his death).

As part of the project, free boat tours to Viðey are given daily at 8pm to see the lighting of the tower. John Lennon's "Imagine" was played on loop for the duration of our ride over the boat's intercom.

more images

Iceland teeters on the brink of bankruptcy!

2008-10-07T20:56:00.000Z

According to the Associated Press, Iceland "is on the brink of becoming the first 'national bankruptcy' of the global financial meltdown." Read the full article here.

Oct 8th: Britain threatens legal action
Oct 9th: Trading suspended
Oct 13th: Stock market to stay shut

SNOW

2008-09-30T18:54:00.001Z

There is snow here now. Its surprising, even to the Icelanders. They are all telling us this is unusual, but we would not be able to tell the difference. It was even close to a blizzard for about 5 minutes this afternoon, too. . . in September!

Yee-Haw!!

2008-09-27T21:32:00.000Z

On Saturday, September 27th Ben invited the residents of Skagaströnd to participate in an all-town "Yee-Haw." Around 40 people showed up and gave it their all.

See it in Google Maps (click on the blue place-marker).

Megas Live in Concert

2008-09-24T23:44:00.000Z

Magnús Þór Jónsson (known as Megas) is one of Iceland's most famous and controversial musicians. Early in his career he was banned from Icelandic radio for writing songs that mocked Icelandic heritage and has been an icon of counterculture ever since. The video above is a clip from his performance in Sauðárkrókur on September 24th (Everyone in Iceland knows the words to his songs by heart, but the crowd had a hard time singing along -at his request- due to his abnormal and inconsistent rhythm).

Read more about Megas here
Hear some samples of his music here

Nes Open Studios

2008-09-22T21:03:00.001Z

Nes Artist Residency Open Studios
Saturday 27 September
Fjörubraut 8, Skagaströnd

17:30- All Skagaströnd “Yee-Haw”
all Skagaströnd residents are invited to participate in an all-town
“Yee-Haw” / organized by Ben Kinsley

18:00- Readings by Ivetta Gerasimchuk @ Kántrýbær
English translations from Russian texts

Polar Bears in Iceland

2008-09-22T01:00:00.000Z

Two polar bears were found in the Norðurland Vestra area of Iceland (near Skagaströnd). They came from Greenland on an Iceberg which melted due to global warming and stranded them in the water. They then swam for hundreds of miles in search of land until they finally reached Iceland. They were starving and covered with sores from the extremely long and exhausting swim. Unfortunately both bears were killed, as Greenland's policy does not permit animals that have left the island to return.

Daily Telegraph story
Danish TV report

Whales in Akureyri!

2008-09-21T23:02:00.000Z

For the past several weeks bottlenose whales have been repeatedly sighted in Akureyri's harbor (practically giving hourly performances). We were lucky to catch this small clip on video but it's nothing like actually being there (sorry folks).

Read more about it in the Iceland Review.

Norðurland = Fantasy Land

2008-09-21T22:38:00.000Z

The area surrounding Lake Mývatn in Iceland's Norðurland is a natural, fantasy wonderland of geothermal activity, waterfalls, craters, and lava formations:

HVERIR

Natural hot-springs of boiling acid pools and steaming fumaroles that smell like sulfur (in short, and real-life version of the "Bog Of Eternal Stench" from the movie Labyrinth).
photos

DIMMUBORGIR

The dark castles is a 'forest' of black lava rock formations. Hiking through Dimmuborgir really did feel like entering a fantasy land (the only thing missing was a unicorn).
photos

DETTIFOSS

The largest waterfall in Iceland (and in the whole of Europe). It's like the Icelandic Niagara Falls, but without all the safety features, bumper-to-bumper traffic, and knick-knacks. It is practically in the middle of a desert and takes 45 minutes to drive there on a bumpy dirt road. (It is also complete with a perma-rainbow!)
photos

Laxárdal Horse Roundup (Day 2)

2008-09-14T13:43:00.001Z

Day two of the horse roundup involves herding the horses into a rondella at Skarpatungurétt and dividing them between the farms. This isn't a simple task and takes most of the day.

While Icelanders do eat horse meat, these horses will spend the winter on a farm with their owners. Then, again next spring, they will be let loose into the wilderness to roam freely. Icelanders do this because they feel it revives the horses spirits and allows them to develop minds of their own before they are tamed for riding. It it also a cheaper way to keep horses as the owners do not need to feed them for 1/2 the year.
photos

Laxárdal Horse Roundup (Day 1)

2008-09-13T19:49:00.000Z

The 2nd largest horse roundup in Iceland occurs annually in Skarpatungurétt in Laxárdal. On day one, riders on horseback start early in the morning rounding up the free ranging herds from the surrounding mountains.

They herd all the horses into a holding pen and take a midday break involving eating, drinking, and singing!

Then, after everyone is properly inebriated, they lead the pack through the valley, stopping periodically for more drinks and song.

check out our photostream for more images

In Search of Þórdís's Gold...

2008-09-09T00:32:00.000Z

Spákonufell (Prophetess Hill) is the name of the mountain that looms over Skagaströnd. According to the Sagas, a very wealthy prophetess (witch) by the name of Þórdís (Thordis) lived near the base (present day site of Skagaströnd's cemetery). Legend has it that Þórdís hid her gold in the mountain and put a spell on it so that no one could find it except a woman who wasn't baptised and who had never learned the word of God.

As soon as we heard this story we sent Jess to the top expecting to hit the jackpot. Unfortunately for us no gold was found. Either the legend is a myth, or Jess wasn't being truthful about her state of devotion.

Skagaströnd Sheep Roundup!

2008-09-06T17:32:00.000Z

Sheep farmers from the surrounding area come together once or twice a season to round up the free ranging sheep from the mountains.

They herd them into a rondella (a circular pen with wedge-shaped dividers, one for each farm) and distribute them back to their owners based on their ear-marks. The lambs be slaughtered for meat and wool at the end of the month.

Check out our photostream for more images.

Atlantic FISH Leather

2008-09-04T19:46:00.001Z

These fish-shaped swatches are samples of dyed Salmon-leather made by the Atlantic Leather (Sjavarledur) company in northern Iceland. They make leather from Salmon, Perch, and Spotted Wolf Fish (a type of Catfish) and sell them abroad to companies like Armani, Gucci, Nike, and Converse. Read all about it (and get your own pair of Wolf Fish Chuck Taylor All-Stars) here!

Columnar Basalt on the Edge of the Arctic

2008-09-04T19:34:00.000Z

These hexagonal basalt formations were created during the cooling of a thick lava flow. These exact formations can be found 15 km north of Skagaströnd. Check out our photostream to see more images of the formations and a natural "amphitheater."

Kántrýbær

2008-09-03T11:28:00.000Z

Yes, that's right. The picture above is indeed a mural of a Mexican in jail (actually painted behind metal bars). This is one of many amazing finds at Skagaströnd's very own Kántrýbær or "country bar" (they also have a huge mural behind the stage depicting the massacre of Native Americans by cowboys). Hallbjörn Hjartarson, a local Skagaströnd resident with an obsession with Country-Western music, started the Kántrýbær (in a log-cabin-style building on the coast of the Arctic Ocean), an all-country-all-the-time radio station on the second floor of the bar (of which he is the one and only DJ), and an annual country music festival. He is world-reknowned (in Iceland) as the "Cowboy of the North" and subject of Icelandic filmmaker Friðrik Þór Friðriksson's 1984 documentary Kúrekar norðursins (but good luck finding it - they don't even have it for rent in the local gas station/video store).

Þorgrímur Þráinsson

2008-09-03T11:03:00.000Z

Thorgrimur Thrainsson is a celebrity footballer-turned-author from Iceland who was one of the first residents at the NES Artist Residency. He is famous for writing books for teenagers and children but possibly his most known work is his book How To Make Your Wife Happy: Sexual and Practical Tips for Men. He spent the summer in Skagaströnd working on a movie script and was often spotted (by local women) sunbathing in his back yard. Needless to say he was the talk of the town! We have quite a reputation to live up to...

Please Wash Thoroughly Without A Swimsuit

2008-08-30T01:26:00.000Z

click image to read Washington Post article by Jason Wilson (as recommended to us by Hjalti's brother who we met while hitchhiking to a swimming pool outside of Reykjavík)

Live WebCam from 101 Reykjavik

2008-08-26T21:51:00.000Z

Live webcam from multiple locations in downtown Reykjavík. Click on the picture to visit the link, and see for yourself! The view changes every 60 seconds.

23:08: Magnificent Fireworks

2008-08-24T23:42:00.000Z

August 23 was Menningarnótt, the annual Reykjavík Culture Night. Local galleries, ateliers, shops, cafes, churches, restaurants and bars in downtown Reykjavik hosted a variety of exhibitions and musical performances. The evening culminated in a parade through the streets leading to a magnificent fireworks display (shot from a boat in the harbor).

The evening continued (in mass drunken stupor) until the 7:45am broadcast of the Iceland vs. France Olympic Championship Handball game (Iceland won the silver medal).