Reykjavík Grapevine - 17.06.2011, Blaðsíða 29

29
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 8 — 2011
Taste the freshness
of a farmer’s market
Housed in one of the city’s oldest buildings, Fish
Market uses ingredients sourced directly from
the nation’s best farms, lakes, and sea to create
unforgettable Icelandic dishes with a modern twist.
AÐALSTRÆTI 12 | +354 578 8877 | FISHMARKET.IS
LUNCH WEEKDAYS 11:30 - 14:00 | EVENINGS 18:00 - 23:30
2008
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HAFNARSTRÆTI
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OPEN FOR LUNCH WEEKDAYS 11:30 - 14:00
OPEN EVERY EVENING 18:00 - 23:30
Review: The Velocity of Photo-
graphs
Landscape whirls by through a patchwork of
photographs—seasons changing in seconds,
night and day transposing more slowly.
A breathy cello sonata follows the arc of
snow-dusted mountains changing into spar-
kling waterways and then into fog-swept
lava fields and onward. A red barn flashes by.
Telephone lines, hay barrels, grazing horses,
the rare person. From vivid colours to muted
shadows, ‘Inland/Outland Iceland¬¬¬’ taps
into a myriad of emotions through fast-mov-
ing portraits of landscape.
‘Inland/Outland’ captures not only land-
scape in motion, but a journey without itiner-
ary. Watching one of the forty-three minute
videos for the first time is both startling and
captivating. The minimalist soundtrack fea-
turing haunting cello solos mimics the rush
of scenery and enhances feelings of solitude
and a one-with-nature mentality.
The films, pieced-together like memo-
ries, do not paint a picture-perfect view of
Iceland’s landscape; ‘Inland/Outland Iceland’
often elicits moody and sometimes unsettling
view of nature.
The images flow uncomfortably fast and
occasionally appear too dark or washed
out. As a result, the imperfections create
“realness” instead of labelling the land as
“otherworldly”—a word used too often to de-
scribe Iceland’s diverse landscape.
The bonus material should not be ig-
nored: The ‘Volcanic Drive’ section follows the
road near Eyjafjallajökull and focuses on the
blankets of ash and billowing smoke rather
than the distant spillway of bright lava. The
‘Slideshow’ section offers a starkly contrast-
ing view of place compared to the videos. The
still-pictures allow the eyes to rest on details
at one time and place rather than the progres-
sion light and weather across a multitude of
scenes shown in the films.
Provocative and forward-thinking, In-
land/Outland Iceland is a great experience for
those who don’t like to sit still and don’t buy
into the “inspired” view of Iceland. EB
the two videos and saying that’s it.
Are you planning on making more
projects like this?
Right now I’m working on an extension
from the highway out to Snæfellsnes,
which for me, is one of the most com-
pacted, magical places. The distance
isn’t that far from the highway, but the
landscape there is really amazing with
all the mountains and lava. The light
there seems to really play special tricks.
I’ve experienced incredible kinds of
weather and light playing on the gla-
ciers there.
Will you produce the new project in
the same format?
It will be the same approach, but with-
out the mistakes that I have had from
the other one. I have a more systematic
approach. I shoot in shorter intervals so
the flow will be smoother, along with
using maps more. The National Park,
along with others, supports the project
with rides and accommodation.
First screened in May 2010 at the Nuna
(now) arts festival in Canada, Svavar
plans to show Inland/Outland Iceland in
more places abroad. He is now organis-
ing an exhibition at the Vatnajökull Na-
tional Park for next summer. The DVD
was released in Iceland in July 2010.
www.inlandoutland.com
Moving Mountains:
Iceland’s Landscape
Travelling Through Time
EMILY BURTON