Here are a few snapshots from Airwaves last night. My favourite act was Borko at the Reykjavik Art Museum (Hafnarhús). Why is it that if really loud music is also really good, my ears are suddenly fine with the volume?! Performing live, Borko hits exactly the right balance between indie rock, acoustic and… Borko-esque.
After a bright and sunny day yesterday, Iceland Airwaves is kicking off today with a splash in the Reykjavik rain. The festival officially begins tonight, but there are also many off-venue events, starting at 1pm this afternoon with GUS GUS at Kex. After that I’ll be heading to Kaffibarinn where one of my favourite local [...]
You probably already know that Reykjavik has a solid music scene most days of the week, but this is an especially happening time of year as the city gears up for its annual Iceland Airwaves festival. Whether it’s a popular time to release CDs, or if new releases simply get more press during this time, [...]
As I left the ‘Center for Puppet Arts’ in Borgarnes (less than an hour’s drive from Reykjavik) I felt as though I’d just visited another world, inhabited by strange wooden creatures. A sleepy place, waiting for us human guests to laugh and clap and pull a few strings, but perhaps (it’s nice to imagine at [...]
ICELAND’S KNITTING CRAZE AND THE WONDERS OF ICELANDIC WOOL. For many years, belonging to a ‘sewing circle’ in Iceland meant many things that invariably had little to do with sewing. But in the past few years, sewing circles have become more true to their moniker, and knitting in particular has become so popular it’s now [...]
You may have heard of the Inca Trail, Camino de Santiago and the Appalachian Trail, all popular overnight treks with their own merits. But did you know that Iceland has its own world class hike? It’s called the Laugavegur and it’s only a three hour drive from Reykjavik to the most common starting point, the [...]
Reykjavik and its surroundings are brimming with handmade jewelry shops featuring local artistry of a very high level. Here are some of my top spots. Sigga & Timo (Linnetsstig 2) is located in Hafnarfjordur, about a 15 minute drive from Reykjavik city centre, and features designs in gold, silver and other materials. They will [...]
The Reykjavik International Film Festival—RIFF—opened last night and runs until October 2. The opening film was Sigur Rós – Inni showcasing the band for a second time (the documentary film Heima also featured Sigur Rós and was RIFF’s opening film in 2007). Mayor of Reykjavík Jón Gnarr introduced the film, its first screening since it [...]
If, like me, you sometimes wish you could climb into the mind of a world-renowned artist to see what makes him/her tick, then you might like the latest Erró exhibition at the Reykjavik Art Museum, on until 26 August 2012. Erró’s work has been on permanent display at the Reykjavik Art Museum since the artist [...]
