Reykjavík Grapevine - 05.03.2010, Blaðsíða 24

SOPHIa Van TReeCK
JulIa STaPleS
Australian expat Lee Nelson is better
known as Wally, your friendly neigh-
bourhood street performer. He came
to Iceland four years ago and founded
his own circus. Yep, courtesy of this
good man, Iceland now has a fully op-
erational circus—Sirkus Íslands! And
at the end of this month, that circus will
premiere a new stage show, Sirkus Sóley
at Salurinn in Kópavogur. Fancy that—a
homegrown, Icelandic circus? You need
to experience this. Tickets are only 1200
ISK, too, so start looking for a ride to
Kópavogur and prepare to be impressed.
“The show will be family entertain-
ment at its most exciting and unpredict-
able,” he tells me over coffee. The man is
excited, and he waxes on: “I think, just
like our last show, that Sirkus Íslands
virgins will be stunned at how good we
actually are. A cast of 15 entertainers will
deliver a non-stop bombardment of hi-
larious and daring antics. The people of
Reykjavik can expect to be entertained!”
Define “making a living”
Lee says the Sirkus Sóley has been in the
planning stages for well over a year, and
that the group has been practicing for
months by now. He is adamant that his
group is here to stay, at least “as long as
I can keep the dream alive in my heart
and the hearts of my circus folk. As for
extending [Sóley], the simple math if we
sell out this run are that 1.2% of the en-
tire Icelandic nation will come and see
our show at Easter time. I’ll be happy
with that.”
When asked if it is hard to make a liv-
ing as a professional clown in Iceland,
Lee gets analytical: “That depends on
how you define making a living. How
you define it—how much is enough? I
don't define enough as owning a Range
Rover. I define enough as not having to
work. Do I work? I play. And as long as I
can keep playing and I don't have to get a
job, I'm making enough.”
Rounding up the group that now
comprises Sirkus Íslands took a while
according to Lee. “For quite a while I
couldn't really get it to happen the way I
wanted. I started giving classes in Kram-
húsið in 2007 and plastered signs all over
town advertising them. A lot of times I'd
just been there by myself. However, after
about six months a little group started to
form...”
Do you feel you’ve brought something
new to the island?
I think I maybe brought the belief that
you can make a living out of your art
without getting any kind of government
help, and I showed people that you can
survive and prosper just through your
art. I don't need 500.000 ISK a month
to live. I just need to go to sleep at night
knowing I've worked hard. I don't think
Icelanders get that. Icelandic people have
gone absolutely bananas in the last ten
years, they all want fucking money mon-
ey money, holidays, crap crap crap.
Indeed. How do you like Icelandic audi-
ences, then?
Oh my God, the Icelandic audiences just
fucking rock. They are so supportive.
Icelandic people just really love seeing
Icelandic people doing something they
didn't think Icelandic people could do.
Some of the best claps and cheers of my
fifteen year long circus career have been
in this country—for some of the weakest
tricks!
As a professional clown living on this cold
and dark island, do you ever feel like this
just isn’t funny anymore?
Lee: It's fucking hilarious. I'm not a big
fan of January, though. I'm not a big fan
of what Icelanders have let their country
become either. I don't find that to be very
funny. I think there's very little differ-
ence at the moment between Iceland and
Africa. The only difference between the
economies of Africa and Iceland now is
automatic weapons.
Huh? Care to elaborate?
Icelanders don't shoot each other. The
poor people here don't have access to
guns. The poor people in Africa do, and
that is what creates the chaos. If people
could get guns here, there would have
been a coup by now.
So you don't think a country can be taken
over with pots and pans?
No. But the whole pots and pans thing
was so much fun! It wasn't really about
protest; it was more about having a rave
party. Those Icelanders discovered beats
and dancing in the streets for the first
time ever.
Local theatre group Vesturport have often
incorporated of circus elements in their
shows, and received acclaim for it. Speak-
ing as an authority on all things circus, do
you like them?
I’ve never really seen any of their stuff.
Why not?
Lee: Because they charge too much mon-
ey. It frustrates me that so many theatre
companies here sell their tickets for 3,500
ISK and up. They're subsidised by the
government, they get all this support and
they still charge a fortune for their tick-
ets. What about some bloody Filipino im-
migrants in Breiðholt? Do they care about
them? I do. I want those people to come
and have a good time in my circus. Sirkus
Íslands is for the people, by the people.
Lee Nelson is bringing the circus to Iceland!
Guns And Range Rovers
art | Interview
24
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 03 — 2010
Design | DesignMarch
DesignMarch is happening again. Last
year's event was a great success and
good times were had by all—the pro-
gramme was large in scale and ambition
and was well carried out by all accounts.
This year’s program—a smattering of
which may be viewed below—looks to
be of the same calibre. We are pretty
excited about the forthcoming bash: it
means lounging around 101 for a week-
end, scooping up hors d’ouevres and
free wine and taking in some of the best
Icelandic designers have to offer. We
called up DesignMarch MD Halla Hel-
gadóttir and got her to spill the beans.
“DesignMarch was held for the first
time last year, during the immediate
aftermath of our economic collapse,”
says Halla. “One of the ongoing effects
of kreppa is that the general public in
Iceland shows more interest in design,
and this was exemplified by its interest
and attendance in DesignMarch. You
could say that the project was timely; it
was very well received by both design-
ers, who put a lot of effort and energy
into making it the success that it was.”
Is there anything you learn when
you round up such a large number of
participants to celebrate the goings-
on in Icelandic design? How big of a
community is the community?
There is a great community of designers
m3
FÉLAGIÐ, Höfðatorg,
Höfðatún 2
The Association of Icelan-
dic Architects will exhibit
works by its members
10+ Furniture exhibition
FÉLAGIÐ, Höfðatorgi
Höfðatúni 2
DesignMarch introduces
collaboration across de-
sign fields—Icelandic
designers explore and
present a variety of the
latest trends in furniture
design.
The FÍT Show 2010/
Graphic Design in
Iceland
IÐA, Lækjargata 2a
The FÍT Show 2010 is
an exhibition displaying
awarded and notable
graphic design and illus-
tration from the annual FÍT
Graphic Design Awards.
Models on laugavegur
Models of built and to-be-
built projects displayed in
shops on Laugavegur.
Bryndís Bolladóttir
presents her collection,
Bubble
The Bubble starts to
play, transforming itself
into a hanger, table mat,
ornament, toy and sound
absorber. Expect live
piano music and high
spirits on Friday March
19 from 16:00–18:00 and
Saturday March 20 from
14:00–16:00.
Textile design
Kaffitár at the National
Museum
The designers of the
Textile Guild take inspira-
tion from the embroidery
exhibitions in the National
Museum.
STeinunn - Fashion
Collage
101 Hotel, Hverfisgata 8-10,
March 18–22
An exhibition of Steinunn‘s
Sigurðardóttir fashion
design.
Garden of enhancement
Kling og Bang, Hverfisgata
42, March 18–28 March,
12:00–18:00
Saga Sigurðardóttir and
Hildur Yeoman combine
forces to create a magical
world where tales from
the Greek mythology and
Russian fairy tales are
combined in an Icelandic
winter wonder land.
GuSt Fashion Show
GuSt, Bankastræti 11
Fashion show from GuST´s
beginnings in 1997 until
the present.
(Pro)cession—label
launching
Gallery Augafyrirauga,
Hverfisgata 35
March 19–21, opens at
17:00.
The new labels ESUALC
and ICE-CRAP by French
designer Philippe Clause
feature unique fashion and
decorative items made
of recycled material and
Icelandic wool. Opens at
17:00 on March 19.
CIneMa WITH lIVe
MuSIC + a leCTuRe
FÉLAGIÐ, Höfðatorg,
Höfðatún 2, March 20,
20:00
Man With The Movie
Camera (1929), directed
by Dziga Vertov
Lecture : Ríkharður H.
Friðriksson composer
Soundtrack : Matthew
Collings
Man With The Movie Cam-
era is famous for the range
of cinematic techniques
Vertov developed to docu-
ment a day in the life of a
Russian city.
architecture excursion
Bus from FÉLAGIÐ,
Höfðatorg, Höfðatún 2,
March 21, 15:00–17:00.
Guided excursion where a
few recent projects will be
visited. Visit AI´s website
for further information:
www.ai.is
SHOWROOM ReYK-
JaVIK
Reykjavik Art Museum,
Hafnarhúsið, March 21
Members of the Icelandic
Fashion Council will
show their most current
collections. The event is
a welcomed opportunity
for those in the fashion
industry and related
industries to come and
see what their colleagues
are up to.
Fashion Flies
Reykjavik Art Museum,
March 21, 20:00
Icelandic Fashion Council
and the Icelandic Dance
Company have joined
forces to create a unique
event.
Full programme at
www.icelanddesign.is
operating in Iceland, with many different
facets; everything from architects to
jewellers. The programme is the result
of collaboration between nine different
groups and the breadth of Icelandic
design and its strengths are revealed
when all these people come together.
The group is also energized when it
gets a chance to sense its own size and
magnitude.
Is the Icelandic public becoming
more aware of Icelandic design and
is that a stated goal of the festivi-
ties? How do you think local design-
ers stand in the Icelandic market—do
people seek them out?
I believe so. One of our main goals is
reaching the public and connecting it
with its design community. Icelandic
design has been in the spotlight a lot
recently and people’s understanding of
and support the trade has been increas-
ing.
How about it's standing in global
markets? Do Icelandic designers
have a reputation abroad—do people
use the term "Icelandic design" in
the same sense they would discuss,
say, "Danish design"?
Icelandic design is not widely known
abroad. It’s still slowly but surely gaining
recognition, and us at the Design Centre
are working on helping it along, for
instance by increasing our connection
with the Scandinavian design commu-
nity, which is very strong and rests on an
old tradition. We have some well-known
designers by now, but are still at the
beginning stages here and are trying to
work forward. The DesignMarch initia-
tive is a part of that process.
Does Icelandic design have a shared
aesthetic, work ethic or attitude?
Is there a unifying factor amongst
Icelandic designers that should be
emphasised?
Many Icelandic designers are looking
towards themes of sustainability and
environmentalism, to be a bigger part of
the local economy and of Iceland’s new
image. As for aesthetics, they are hard
to pin down at this point. I believe that is
something that happens over time, and
we haven’t reached that place yet. Origi-
nality and curiosity are maybe two things
that one often finds in locals’ work.
Innovation. But ask me in a few years,
when we’re further along the path.
Tell us about this years' programme.
How long have you been preparing
it? Is there a running theme or idea
behind it?
We’ve been preparing the programme
since early fall. The idea is to reflect the
diversity and quality of Icelandic design.
This is a design banquet, a fair in Reyk-
javík. There are exhibitions, installations,
events, lectures and everything else to
your heart’s delight. I would say it gives
an excellent chance to stroll through
downtown Reykjavík, enjoy life and the
uplifting design scene.
Iceland’s Designers March On
Halla Helgadóttir
DesignMarch Director
DesignMarch aims to celebrate every aspect of Icelandic design
Some events at DesignMarch
March 18-21Fashion & Design Spotlight
HauKuR S MaGnÚSSOn
JulIa STaPleS