The Dark Side of Being Young and Single in Iceland
Lately I’ve had the creeping suspicion that being single in Iceland can really suck. Let’s say you’re walking down Laugavegur, minding your own business, as you do, whe
So What’re These Elves I Keep Hearing About?
The long answer is that it has been reported by the Associated Press, and subsequently hundreds of media outlets around the world, that opposition to a proposed road in the [&helli
The News Is Getting Briefer
On any given weekend, Icelandic children are likely to gather around their television set at seven in the morning to watch ‘Small Potatoes’ and ‘The Moomins’ on RÚV, while
It’s Time To Give A Puck About Women’s Hockey
Iceland has more to offer than football and handball, an activity that actually makes use of, you know, iceOn the shortest day of the year, the women’s hockey team from […
Harpa Hypnotised by Philip Glass
Philip Glass ÉtudesAn étude from the French for “study”, is a short, often highly challenging piece designed to expand the playing technique of a musician. This often involve
Meet The Venue: Harpa
Over the years, Sónar has become internationally recognised for curating cutting-edge live line-ups, but here at the Icelandic edition there’s another big star at the core o
Tackling Gravity
Animation Director Daði Einarsson talks about the film’s technical challengesWhen it comes to animation, Iceland’s Daði Einarsson is a real veteran. After spending several ye
A Trip Hop Legend
BonoboSimon Green’s alias, Bonobo, took formal shape in the late ‘90s with the release of the 1999 song “Terrapin,” which later found a place on his seminal debut album
A Pioneer of Icelandic Hip Hop
Cell7To say in 2014 that hip hop is solely an American art form is a grave misnomer. While the origin and root are indefinitely seated within black urban culture in […]
Forgiveness For Sale!
Þórdís Elva premieres Forgiveness Inc.In a TV ad that did the rounds on the usual social networking sites in early January, Forgiveness Inc. promised its would-be clients a clea
Electric Iceland
Sónar Reykjavík Brings The Best In Electronic Music To The Winter MassesToday we live in a truly globalised Bass Culture. Whether it’s dubstep from Santiago or drone techno fro
What We Featured
Every year, The Grapevine prints 18 issues that get distributed around Iceland and uploaded to the web. Looking through the last batch, it’s difficult to fathom how we pulled som
A Little Bottle of Icelandic Happiness
Having only arrived in Reykjavík a few weeks ago, I was pretty shocked while walking through downtown Reykjavík yesterday as it felt a bit like cruising around in a submarine, [&
Year In News: 2013
January The year started with a number of dubious predictions from the outside world—for one, that Iceland was “a seething caldron on the verge of going kablooey,” (that from
Sour Grapes & Stuff: Issue 1
Most Awesome Letter Carol Plunkett I gazed in awe and wonder as God’s pyrotechnics played Across a pale Icelandic sky with crescent moon displayed The ground a frozen wastela
Mayor’s Address
A total of 2014 years have now passed since Jesus was born in a barn in the town of Bethlehem, Palestine. This is why we celebrate New Year’s Eve. Actually, […]
Tourist Of The Year 2013
For our second annual ‘Tourist of the Year’ award, we teamed up with Promote Iceland to make it a real contest with a real prize this time around. To that […]
Ask Your Völva
Many Icelanders around me were pretty upset last month when the Associated Press ran a story about an “elf lobby” joining environmentalist in their struggle to block ro
Lemúrinn: Crossing The Volcanic Wasteland With A Camera And Polished Shoes
Horace Dall (1901-1986) lived on a hill in Luton, England. He pointed telescopes towards the stars and photographed the planets of the outer region of the solar system. He was [&he
In Iceland’s Fish Industry, The Women Are From Marz
The very centre of the Marz Seafood headquar ters in Stykkishólmur is pillared by a tall shelf, stacked with books by female writers, Annie Leibowitz’s photography collecti
Thirteen Things About Þrettándinn
Often known as the Twelfth Night in the English-speaking Christian world, Þrettándinn (directly translated as “the thirteenth”) marks the end of Iceland’s epic Christmas se