DRESSING FOR THE OCCASION:
Iceland has no army. But Icelanders are carrying arms in Afghanistan. “Are you going to call the documentary ‘The Secret Army’?” One of the guys said joking
YE OLDE ICELAND IS BACK IN ACTION
The photos were courtesy of the magic of the National Museum, who had at one time created a nice visual to accompany the history of the Christmas Lads. This is […]
People At Their Worst
The room is large and the lighting has been dimmed. On each wall there is a rectangular square whereupon two video installations are being shown, side by side, so that […]
Your Memories Look Like This
The exhibition is comprised of long prints made of images that seem sewn together. Each print features one subject, but is made of various shots from slightly differing viewpoints.
REVENGE OF THE DRUM NERDS
I’m well aware of the fact that in Iceland, famous people are not treated with the same degree of fawning and adulation that they might get in other countries. I’ve […]
Ego: the fine art of resurfacing
Arguably, one of the highlights of Reykjavík’s recent so-called Culture Night was the reunion of Egó – one of the biggest Icelandic rock acts of the early to mid-‘80s. Then
A WELL-LAID MAN IS A HAPPY MAN
You go over to Bæjarins bestu with hot dog on your mind and by the time it´s your turn you´re no longer responding to commands from your belly region. Even […]
Harvesting the Fertile Imagination: Múm comes home
With the addition of a percussionist, brass player and string player they have become a veritable orchestra. But orchestrated they are not. The stage is rife with movement, players
FRY AND THE FAMILY STONE
Grapevine’s correspondents arrived early in the evening so we were practically the only guests there, but that would change soon. The first things that greeted us when we came up
”My dream was always to become a slave to an arabic king”
We jump into car and drive to Háls, the last house on the right, in the valley among the dramatic mountains of Öxnadalur. Close by, the Home of the Winds […]
BELCHING UP THE AMERICAN DREAM
The guy could talk about America for hours. Most of the jive is the familiar anti-corporation variety, but he definitely presents it with gusto. When he really gets going, you [&he
Mugi Goes to the Movies
It seems that this prolific young man–singer, songwriter, festival organizer, and now film scorer–has his fingers in a lot of pies around the country. I can’t seem to
Editorial: COUNTRY OF CONSTANT SORROW
Didn’t the mujaheddin once appear on our screens along with the West’s finest, Rambo and James Bond, liberating the freedom loving Afghanis from the evil Russians? Just as the
Who´s in charge of foreign affairs?
Having talked to the opposition regarding the governments position on Afghanistan, we tried to get the governments´ point of view. This proved more difficult than expected. The mi
ARE WE IN NORTH KOREA?
“The opponents of the Kárahnjúkar dam use lies and untruths.” Below this heading is an open letter which is supposed to “bring to attention the lying crap which is being [&
“A handful of men imposing their destructive dream…?”
I am guilty. That much is true. I work at Kárahnjúkar. I chose to come here. I didn´t have to. I volunteered to help build the dam so I suppose […]
OUT OF BALANCE:
For this reason, it could be argued that an intrepid drug dealer would come to the conclusion that since he faces the same sentence for a kilo of hash as […]
WHERE WILL THE INDEPENDENCE PARTY GO FROM HERE?
Halldór had then been Prime Minister in Davíð Oddsson’s government for eight years, and seems to have been loath to change partners. Oddsson, who still had the largest number
Davíð Oddsson: Life imitates satire
Davíð Oddsson started his career as a man of the people. He was the first student at his secondary school to be elected Inspector Scholae, or student representative, who was [&he
“EXCUSE ME, DID I JUST HEAR YOU SAY WICIOUS?”
It’s one of the nation’s great mysteries, but not one that Icelanders are keen on investigating. Sometimes they find it insulting, but mostly they just don’t get what’s so
A BEGINNERS GUIDE TO WHALING
1. Is whaling a dangerous sport? First of all, whaling is not a sport. It is an art. Like martial arts, its essence is emancipation, the liberation of man from […]