A MINISTER PLEASE
The Tourism board pointed out that they have been pleased witht the response to their poster campaigns on the Tube and in the Metro, and that they plan to continue […]
WAVING A PIRATE FLAG
Seditious Superstar “She sings funny. And she don´t dance all that great either,” a character says in the film Dancer in the Dark about Björk´s persona, Selma. And B
NO, NAY, NEVER
The museum itself has primarily been a venue for exhibitions and various creative events, but it is becoming increasingly focused on its position as a setting for both domestic and
Editorial: ROCK AND ROLL
One fine mornin’, she puts on a New York station And she couldn’t believe what she heard at all She started dancin’ to that fine, fine music Her life was […]
SARCASM AND THE CITY:
Reykjavík’s Carrie Bradshaw with BirkenstocksUnlike other well-known photographers who prefer their work to be silver gelatine prints, mounted on fibreboard, Nína Björk opted
THE GRAPES OF VAÐI
by Valur Gunnarsson In the 1930s, dust storms swept the southern plains of the United States. The “Black Blizzards,” as they were called, had come about because of overfarming,
LIFE BEYOND GULLFOSS
In the middle of the wastelands stands something resembling an airplane crash or modern sculpture, but it´s actually two warped, iron girders from the road that used to run throug
The Patented Icelandic Underwater Massage
I was obviously worried about my massage, the focus of my entire day, which was meant to be executed whilst floating on a small thin raft allowing the body to […]
WORST BARTENDER IN REYKJAVÍK
During the day, the café where I worked attracted three groups with its international cuisine and almost funky ambience. First there were the tourists, identicaly dressed, escapin
KING ARTHUR COMES ALIVE
Adding Jerry Bruckheimer to the mix does not brighten the prospects. It is surprising that these three decided to film not the Arthur of legend, but the historical Arthur. It [&hel
THIS MAN IS REAL
After gaining such a strong presence in this town it’s impossible not to stop by and see the photographs. Albert, perhaps, draws you in but the photos are not as […]
A case of a basket or a basket case
In 1957, the old farmstead Árbær was chosen to be Reykjavík’s public park and open-air museum with old houses of historical value. Among the current exhibitions is a recollect
AURORA BOREALIS IN THE BASEMENT
The disco-like magic of the exhibit was lost when a museum staff member unplugged the device, transforming the shimmering light into something resembling the late-night glow of a s
DON´T BOOTLEG IT: DÓRI DNA PREPARES TO REWRITE HIP HOP
So what does he have to say for himself? First of all, how old is he? Dóri: Write down that I’m 20. I think it sounds better. All the rappers […]
BEERMAN GETS ROMANTIC
But who are they kidding anyway? People don´t fall in love with each other. They fall in love with themselves. A guy falls in love with a girl who laughs […]
THERE’S MORE TO THE OCEAN THAN BILLY
Grapevine’s correspondents arrived at Við tjörnina at ten o’clock one summer evening in June. The late hour was due to the fact that one of us felt compelled to attend [&hell
Proud Everywhere – Pride For Everyone
Anyway, now, some 15 years later, we have a huge event called Gay Pride and it has become the third largest event in Iceland with some 20 to 30 thousand […]
LAXNESS TRANSLATED
Halldór Laxness writes this description of a grandmother in his book The Fish Can Sing. It is a description which can be adapted to describe Laxness’ own writing. It is [&hellip
About Realism
Nothing was said about the Albanian national team until they arrived at Heathrow Airport in London. They made a stopover there on their way to Iceland and the players could [&helli
BREIÐAFJÖRÐUR: THE ICELANDIC MEDITERRANEAN?
I got onboard the Særún. Our first stop was at a rock inhabited by a colony of puffins. The catamaran got almost close enough to touch them, but the puffins […]
Stykkishólmur after dark
The first thing I did upon arrival in Stykkishólmur was in fact not head straight for the bar, but go swimming. The walls of the swimming hall are lined with […]