Reykjavík Grapevine - 01.07.2011, Side 43

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The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 9 — 2011
Art | Travel
Located on the outskirts of Iceland, the
Westfjords’ lighthouse Galtarviti has in-
spired Icelandic musicians, artists and
writers for years, as well as serving as
a guiding light for the region’s fisher-
men. Artist and mountaineer Sara Riel
is one of them, and together with Gal-
tarviti’s owner and a collective of over
20 artists, she intends to pay homage
to this dynamic place with an exhibition
entitled ‘Echo Of The North’, opening
on July 2. Since the lighthouse can’t
be reached by conventional methods,
the team are offering guided hiking-
tours twice per week from Skálavík
(near Bolungarvík) to Keflavík, where
Galtarviti lighthouse rules its majestic
kingdom and guide travellers through
contemporary art and some of the
country’s most astonishing landscapes.
We caught up with Sara before she em-
barked on her journey to find out more.
THE LIGHTHOUSE-KEEPER OPENS
HIS HOME TO YOU
“There’s something very special about
this place. It’s hard to put a finger on
it, but I think it’s a combination of its
isolation and the beautiful yet dramatic
nature surrounding it”, says Sara Riel
about Galtarviti. “There’s no cell phone
reception or internet connection. Time
stands still in a way and the area has
some kind of supernatural powers. This
seems to bring out the creativity in ev-
eryone who spends
time here”. Free
from social obliga-
tions or the hassle of
city-life, a number of
Icelandic musicians,
artists and writers
have found exile in this remote place
to work on their creations and sought
inspiration in the dramatic landscape
surrounding it.
Built in 1956, Galtarviti has been a
bit of a secret among the artistic crowd,
but for the month of July, adventur-
ous travellers are invited to breath in
the clean air and creative energy and
spend the night in the most remotely
located lighthouse in Europe. Sur-
rounded by majestic mountains on one
side and the often rough and unfriendly
ocean on the other, Galtarviti can only
be reached by a challenging boat ride
from Suðureyri, or a 3 to 4 hour hike
across mountains and through valleys,
a place where elves and other mythi-
cal creatures supposedly call home.
On Tuesdays and Fridays of this month,
Sara and her dog will take hikers on a
journey through Bakkadalur valley to
Keflavík, where Galtarviti’s owner, Óla-
fur Jónasson, will welcome visitors with
hot coffee and some music that has
been recorded in the lighthouse over
the years.
AN ARTFUL HIKE
The two-day trip starts in the town of
Ísafjörður (a five hour drive or 45-min-
ute flight from Reykjavík), where a bus
from Vesturferðir will pick up the group
and bring them to Sara at Skálavík.
Sara is an experienced guide and has
taken tourists on hiking treks across
Iceland’s highlands for years. She’s
used to everything.
“It’s a bit of a steep hike up Öskubak
(a mountain almost 500 metres high),
but if you have good hiking boots and
proper outdoor clothing—no jeans!—
it shouldn’t be too difficult. The path
down to Norðurdalur is a pleasant walk
and we will try to imagine how life was
for the farmers back in the days, in this
isolated bay”. She tells me that many
odd things have happened in the area
and numerous
tales of elves and
other magical be-
ings are associat-
ed with the place.
Interested hikers
can learn about
these mythical inhabitants during the
trip, but most of all, she says, the hike is
supposed to be about experiencing the
breathtaking scenery. “The atmosphere
is indescribable and the landscape
magnetic. On a clear day, you can see
over to Hornstrandir and all the way to
Greenland in the West”.
After a short rest, Sara will guide
visitors thought the second part of the
trip, the exhibition. The show features
work by more than twenty well known
names in the contemporary art scene,
including Ólöf Norðdal, Sara Björnsdót-
tir, Karlotta Blöndal, Helgi Þórsson, Sig-
ryggur Berg, Lilja and Inga Birgisdætur,
Örvar and Silla of múm and Goddur, to
name just a few, and everyone involved
has some relations to the lighthouse.
“Our idea for the project was to cre-
ate an art-loving lighthouse-keeper
and display his art collection, like he
would do in his home. This imagined
lighthouse-keeper has followed Icelan-
dic art and cultural scene for the past
five years, attended exhibitions, and
decorated his home with all the pieces
he collected. The exhibition is therefore
very up-to-date”, explains Sara.
The cherry on the top is the over-
night stay. Galtarviti offers accommo-
dation for 10 people but is rarely open
to visitors. “We want people to enjoy
the incredible feeling, sleeping in the
lighthouse has to offer. It’s a unique
opportunity”, concludes Sara. The next
day the group will hike the same way
back to Skálavík, where the bus will
bring them to Ísafjörður.
Having visited Galtarviti on a num-
ber of occasions, we can’t encourage
you, reader, enough to join this tour. An
impressive collection of contemporary
art mixed with the country’s most as-
tonishing landscapes, all in one pack-
age. That seems worth the hike!
STEINUNN jAKOBSDóTTIR
jULIA STAPLES / óLAFUR jóNASSON
An Offer You Shouldn’t Refuse
“Built in 1956, Galtarviti has been a bit of a secret
among the artistic crowd”
If you want to join the tour, visit vesturferdir.is. You can purchase a package for 25.600 ISK, which includes a bus from Ísafjörður to Skálavík,
lunch, dinner and breakfast, guided tour with Sara and accommodation in the lighthouse. You also have the option of joining Sara in Skálavík
and paying 3.000 ISK for the guided tour to Galtarviti, with use of the camping facilities included. The guided tours start at 13:15 on Tuesdays and
Fridays throughout July.
Galtarviti lighthouse beckons