Reykjavík Grapevine - 09.07.2004, Blaðsíða 20

MAN BITES SHARK
by Marcie Hume
Walking through the doors of Kolaportið, you can’t help but
notice that it smells very Icelandic inside. If the DVDs, clothes, books
and other classic Kolaportið scraps seem too overwhelming to sort
through, follow your nose to the dried fish, sitting in piles in the
room which features some of the finest and smelliest uber-Icelandic
cuisine from the sea. Here you can find food items all the way from
the foreigner-friendly salmon to kotareyktur rauðmagi, a thick black
wedge of fish which looks something like an individually packaged
shoe.
Guerilla Theatre of the Absurd
by Jonas Moody
And then there are the huge green
eggs spotted with black dots: seagull
and blackbird eggs. I’ve seen them
eaten raw before, right in front of
the counter. Who buys these things?
I felt compelled to ask. “Mostly
old people,” says Hjalti Ásgeirsson,
the young man behind the counter.
“They’re used to it,” he says, “but I
like them also.”
There are crowds around the stalls
and transactions are surging faster
than at a McDonald’s in Texas. This
must be one of the busiest places in
the city. Generally, each stall is run
by one family who sells potatoes,
breads or seafood that they produce
or acquire themselves. Gunnar
Eyjólfsson tells me that all the fish at
his extensive counter comes from the
work of just his family and their two
boats. They have been selling fish
in Kolaportið for ten years and most
everyone in the family is a fisherman.
“It’s always this busy,” he tells me.
I approach a gentleman standing
behind a big plastic fish which hangs
over his counter. His name is Hilmar
Friðsteinsson. “The freshness here is
unrivalled,” he tells me. “There’s not
chance of getting something spoiled
here. And you can’t get most of
these things at the shops.” He’s been
working at Kolaportið in one capac-
ity or another for the entire fifteen
years of its existence. Hilmar hands
me a little beige blob on a tooth-
pick and I can’t refuse. Initially it’s
tolerable, almost tasteless, although I
detain it in my cheek like a squir-
rel…I’m not sure why, I chalk it up
to instinct. As I begin to chew, I am
certain that this isn’t going to work
out for me.
I decide to spit. This is obviously
beyond rude, standing right in front
of Hilmar, but there was no chance
of coercing the blob down my throat.
At this point Hilmar decides to tell
me that what I am trying not to
swallow is shark meat. I lean over
the rubbish bin and attempt to let
the shark go gracefully, to spit like a
dancer would spit, if dancers were in
the habit of spitting shark. Unfor-
tunately, there are strings hanging
from my teeth, mostly in one hefty
glob lodged between two molars. I
try to pull it out with the toothpick,
and when this fails, with my fingers.
And in this moment, with the
monster hanging off my face, time
starts to slow down. It’s like taking
a great fall and knowing mid-air
that you are going down, everything
in slow motion. I realize all of my
friends have walked away, except for
one who is whispering “Okay, pull it
together.”
And then Hilmar tries to pass me a
dried fish chaser. But my gag reflex
is kicking in.
Eventually I get most of the shark
out of my teeth. It lands limply on
the back of my hand, and then, with
a can of Coke as my shepherd, I
swallow the rest. A few people laugh
and point at the girl grimacing and
gulping a Coke, and meanwhile the
shark burns my stomach, a good,
honest burn like I have swallowed
something really inappropriate, and
the burn continues all the way home.
It’s an experience I needed to have, if
only to prove how hearty and durable
Icelanders are, and how cowardly
my digestive system is. While I was
cringing in discomfort there were
lines of elderly women handing over
cash for this stuff. As Hilmar told
me, “Foreigners usually just buy
salmon.”
“So there’s this chef and this hotel
reception clerk. And they’re just
standing in the middle of Kringlan.
One is standing on top of a planter
and the other one is on the ground.
And their poses look like something
out of Romeo and Juliet.” It didn’t
stop there. My friend described to
me scene after scene of mid-mall
dioramas featuring frozen passion
between butchers and bakers and
candlestick makers. Once I saw a
junior ballroom dancing competition
in the middle of Kringlan. The
sight of 8-year-olds gyrating to
the cha-cha is, yes, unsettling, but
these vignettes sounded downright
absurd! Indeed, it is this seemingly absurd sense of
engagement with the public that marks this young
group of performers. Götuleikhús (Street Theater) is
a group of 15 young people (from 16 to 25) selected
from numerous applications to work as a troop of street
actors, enacting invisible theatre throughout Reykjavík.
Under the direction of Steinunn Knútsdóttir and Oddvar
Hjartarson, the group is first put though a training
period including rigorous physical conditioning, exercises
to hone their minds, and a number of brainstorming
sessions to pick a theme. This year’s theme is “love”
in all of its various manifestations. Götuleikhús has
explored, among other avenues, passion without touching
culminating in these live installations at Kringlan.
They have also taken up familial love by assembling
a family with parents on stilts, Tokyo punk children,
and gargoyles for pets. The group’s next installment
will appear this Friday downtown as a series of mobile,
private spaces, an entire apartment recreated outdoors for
all of Reykjavík to see.
����� ARTS
Kjarvalsstadir
HER, HER, HER AND HER
Photographer Roni Horn first came to Iceland 30 years
ago and quickly became entranced. Her work encompasses
many aspects of the country’s geology, and even the indoor
swimming pool Sundhöllin, which is featured in this
show. She keeps a low profile here but her body of work
holds Iceland as its focal point. Also at this location are
new works by the Italian artist Francesco Clemente.
CULTUREand
Hallgrímskirkja church, 11th July, 8pm
SUMMER EVENING CONCERT
Christian Schmitt, a 28-year-old German organist, is one
of the best of the younger generation. He will play music
by the Icelandic composer Jón Ásgeirsson, as well as works
by Guy Bovet, Liszt, and Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in D.
A good way to spend some time inside the Church many
of us use as a compass. If you don’t like organ music, you
can close your eyes and pretend you’re in a David Lynch
movie.
Ásmundarsafn
THE MAN AND MATERIAL
A retrospective exhibit of the sculptor’s work. The exhibit
aims to create a memorable time for visitors of all ages,
and children are encouraged to explore and play while
learning about the artist and his history. Plus, with an
admission ticket to the Roni Horn exhibit, your ticket is
good for this show as well if you visit on the same day.
Fjölskyldu og húsdýragarðurinn
SKINNY LEGS AND ALL
Sure it’s just a zoo. But if you’re one of the few people in
Reykjavík who didn’t grow up near any sheep, or if you
really want to impress a seven year old, head on down to
Laugardal. Here you can talk to the seals or make fun of
the reindeers’ skinny legs. It’s the only place where nervous
animals like goats actually let you feed them (and talk to
them, if you’re so inclined). The science tent and family
park are great aspects as well.
On the Internet
VISITREYKJAVIK.IS
Despite a few typos and the classic foreign-sounding
English, this website is a good place to find all types of
events in the city. It’s a great reference guide for finding
opening times, phone numbers and locations. More or
less all galleries, theaters, opera, symphony events, etc. are
listed here. If you’ve lost your “Grapevine in Your Pocket”,
this is where to go.
Þróttheimar, 11th July, 14:00-18:00
LYKKJUFALL - HITT HÚSIÐ
A clothes line for the summer which the designer claims
to be “challenging but still with a romantic feel.” The line,
created by two students at the Art School, will be sold at
Þróttheimar youth centre.
H
.S
.
H
.S
.
The visitor´s KEY to ICELAND
Its saga and scenery
Over 400 colour photographs
A complete ROAD AND REFERENCE
GUIDE
Including the highlands and all
mountain roads
Also Available in Germ
an
as: “Island Atlas”
Iceland is a country of
great and unusual
natural beauty. Every
turn in the road, every
change in the weather
presents a new and
fascinating aspect.
Detailed maps of the entire Icelandic road system
Street maps of towns and villages
Maps of numbered mountain tracks
Map of golf courses
Classified list of advertisers
Index of 3,000 place names
Information on accommodation, petrol stations, etc.
And much, much more
Available in bookstores and petrol stations around Iceland
For more info call Stöng Publishing House – Tel.: + 354 554 77 00
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