Reykjavík Grapevine - 06.08.2008, Page 18

18 | REYKJAVÍK GRAPEVINE | ISSUE 11—2008
PROfILE
Janus Bragi Jakobsson and Tinna Ottesen are an
Icelandic couple who have gained attention re-
cently for the experimental underwater concerts
they held during the four day warm-up proceed-
ing the Roskilde Music Festival. The idea first
arose in 1999 when Tinna was a member of the
concept-group NeoGeo. They held three under-
water concerts in Sundhöllin in collaboration
with Reykjavík city officials, and in 2007 Janus
and Tinna decided to revive and evolve the idea.
The concerts were held in a small lake near the
festival grounds and were open to anyone who
wanted to experience music in a new environ-
ment. People could either wade out into the cool-
ing waters of the lake or sit back and relax on spe-
cially designed “listening benches” with only their
ears submersed. DJs Rosa Lux, Mike Sheridan and
El Grillo played on a stage shaped and painted to
look like a sunken ship using underwater speakers
designed for dolphin training.
Tinna and Janus both grew up in Iceland
and met when they were students in the notori-
ously artsy high school Menntaskólinn við Ham-
rahlíð. Tinna moved to Denmark to go to art
school and Janus followed shortly after. Janus
is now a student at The National Film School of
Denmark and Tinna is looking forward to her next
cooperative project with the famous artistic group
Halfmachine (http://halfmachine.info), which will
mix her interest in aquatic exploration and the
pioneer methods of experimentation associated
with Halfmachine. They will also take part in next
year’s Roskilde Festival, this time with a bigger bud-
get and more experience under their belt, with the
goal of making an underwater concert truly com-
parable to the above-sea-level experience. “Water
is a much better medium for sound than air but not
all music can be heard underwater,” Tinna tells me.
“Low bass and high pitched sounds can’t be heard
but everything in between works fine. Kim Larsen
for example sounds great! The goal though is to do
it so well that the sound quality will be comparable
to an above water concert.”
NAME:
Janus Bragi Jakobsson & Tinna Ottesen
PLACE Of bIRTH:
Reykjavík, Iceland
PROfESSION:
Student (Janus) and Artist (Tinna)
CURRENTLY:
Living in Denmark and looking forward to next
year’s underwater concert.
WEbSITE:
www.myspace.com/underwaterconcert
Janus & Tinna
By oDDur sturLuson — photo By gas
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