Reykjavík Grapevine - 04.08.2008, Page 2

2 | REYKJAVÍK GRAPEVINE | ISSUE 10—2008
The Reykjavík Grapevine
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Printed by Landsprent ehf. in 30.000 copies.
FREE
ENERGY
FREEDOM
PEACE
The new catchwords for
marketing Iceland in the
21st Century
Exploring Greenland
Director Rúnar Rúnarsson
The Horrors of ‘Sveitaball’
Hugleikur’s Monsters
What To Do On Labour Day Weekend
Issue No 10 – 2008
YOUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO LIFE, TRAVEL
AND ENTERTAINMENT IN ICELAND
COMPLETE CITY LISTINGS – INSIDE!
PHOTOGRAPHY
GAS
MODEL
Guðrún Tara / Eskimo
STYLIST
Ásgrímur Már Friðriksson / Ási
MAKE-UP
Ísak Freyr Helgason at Emm with
products from Makeup A
THANKS TO
Ellingsen for flag in the background
Liborius for the hat
Branding a nation could look like an odd thing
to do. Finding the best way to do it is can be
even more bizarre. Why or if a country should be
searching for an identity to promote to the rest of
the world might be debatable, but when the au-
thorities gather a diverse group of people from dif-
ferent sectors of the society to do exactly that, its
always fun to examine the outcome.
Last year, Iceland’s Government appointed
a committee which had the ambitious task of find-
ing new ways to build a strong and positive image
for Iceland and maintain the country’s place as
“The Best in the World”. The report was released
earlier this summer, and proved to be an interest-
ing read, full of clichés and marketing lingo but
also some interesting thoughts on Iceland’s iden-
tity. After months of long debates, the committee
came up with three keywords that could be the
core in Iceland’s image: Energy, Freedom, Peace.
These are some powerful words, but do they have
any meaning at all? And how will we use them to
market Iceland globally in the 21st Century? In the
feature article this issue Bergur Ebbi Benedikts-
son contemplates these questions and discusses
the whole idea about nation branding. I encour-
age you all to read it, and think about it.
In other news, the Grapevine office is
packed with new editorial interns at the moment
(and there are more on the way) eager to take in
everything the country has to offer. I’m sure they’ll
be do their share in pointing out all the pros and
cons of our community that often takes a visitor’s
eye to see. So if you’re not afraid of some construc-
tive criticism, feel free to invite them to parties,
dinner and concerts, a cruise on your boat, a stay
at your remote guesthouse or to whatever crazy
happening you are planning. They won’t hesitate
to tell you if you’re doing a great job or not. That’s
what we all want to know, right?
Steinunn Jakobsdóttir
Opinion
06 WHEN IN ICELAND DO AS THE ICELANDERSAn opinion by Alexandra Hertell
08 PUbLIC RESTROOMS: A bEGINNER’S GUIDE An opinion by Sveinn Birkir Björnsson
Articles
06 RE-ESTAbLISHING 101 REYKjAvíK An interview with Central City Director Jakob Frímann Magnússon
08 THE 2 bIRDS HAvE FLOWN An Interview with filmmaker Rúnar Rúnarsson
10 FEAR AND LOATHING IN REYKjAvíK The low-down on pubbing in the cove of smoke
12 HUGLEIKUR AND THE MONSTERS! The Deacon of Dark River
16 A REAL HORROR-SHOW Grapevine goes to The Flight of the Testicles
23 ROLLIN’ WITH THE DOG DAY KING An interview with stand-up comedian Snorri Hergill Kristjánsson
24 CD REvIEWS Tommygun Preachers and Stórsveit Nix Noltes
24 CONCERT REvIEW Iceland-Palestine benefit concert at Organ
25 CD REvIEWS Garðar Cortes and Atomstation
25 CONCERT REvIEW Hjálmar at NASA
26 INvESTIGATING THE ICELANDER Artist Fergal McCarthy wants YOU to pose
28 A NECESSARY EvIL Grapevine reporter experiences the crazy Sveitaball
Features
16 THE IMAGE OF ICELAND The Government’s search for Iceland’s identity
Destinations
30 HOT SPRINGS AND MOUNTAINS OF MANY COLOURS Daytrip to Landmannalaugar and the Saga Valley
32 GETTING SPOOKED Caving and Snorkelling in Þingvellir
34 LOSE YOUR MORAL bOUNDARIES AND GET SHITFACED! Iceland’s most infamous party weekend
36 GO TO GREENLAND. NOW! Majestic Greenland is only a couple of hours away.
EDITORIALTAbLE OF CONTENTS MASTHEAD
THE COvER