Reykjavík Grapevine - 09.05.2014, Blaðsíða 2

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× 2014
April 4 - May 8
Issue 04
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MUSICHIGHLANDS ECONOMICS FILM CULTURE
ÍS
LA
N
D
G
EYSIRLA
N
D

60000
Straumur presents
you with five
spring bangers
Björk, Aronofsky
& Smith team up to
save them
Are all of our
currencies cursed?
Hross í Oss gets a
glowing review
Just how Icelandic
is the lopapeysa?
TRACK OF THE ISSUE
This track is for all of our readers whose
musical tastes do not fall within the vanilla
pop-indie spectrum. Icelandic electronic
doom artist Krakkkbot's "Drondorp Soloid"
from the recently released 'Blak Musk' al-
bum is a great representation of the artist's
style. Heavy drones, conflicting frequencies
and an unorthodox beat all help to cre-
ate the sludgy dreamscape of nightmarish
dimensions that Krakkkbot's music is all
about. This isn't the track to dance jovially
along to as you go from shop to shop in the
Kringlan mall, living the consumerist petite
bourgeoisie dream. This song fills you with
Nietzschean existential dread, focusing you
on the task at hand, because after you leave
this mortal coil behind there's probably
nothing waiting for you on the other side.
Krakkkbot: "Drondorp Soloid"
Download NOW at www.grapevine.is
2The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 5 — 2014
Hafnarstræti 15, 101 Reykjavík
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Editor:
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Editorial | Anna Andersen
ICELAND’S SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAM IS COMING FOR YOUR DNA!
Anna’s 40th Editorial
I was flipping through Fréttablaðið on
Wednesday morning when a particular
article plus two full-page ads caught
my eye. ‘This is crazy!’ I thought, as I
read the headline, “Collecting DNA
Samples From 100,000 Participants In
deCODE Research.”
Like Jehovah’s Witnesses, Iceland’s
search and rescue team Landsbjörg
will soon begin walking door-to-door
to win you over to their cause. Only they
won’t be doing God’s bidding or even
preaching their own gospel. They will
be working for deCODE Genetics, a
subsidiary of the biotechnology giant
Amgen, and their evangelical mission
is to collect DNA samples from roughly
one-third of the nation. For this task,
Landsbjörg will be deploying a small
army of 5,000 to 10,000 volunteers who
will, according to the article, receive
2,000 ISK (roughly 20 USD) for each
person they can get to hand over a
pouch containing their DNA.
For those unfamiliar with deCODE,
the company uses Iceland’s relatively
small and homogeneous gene pool
(remember the “anti-incest app” that
made headlines last year?) to research
genetic risk factors for diseases, for
instance, but not everyone agrees that
the potential benefits outweigh the
risks. For instance, there’s always the
danger that this information could fall
into the wrong hands, and there are all
kinds of unethical ways that the infor-
mation could be used.
The newspaper ad for the campaign
features photos of Icelanders—such as
the dean of Iceland’s medical school,
the nation’s minister of health and
Reykjavík’s mayor, Jón Gnarr—posing
with DNA receptacles. “The rescue
team will be paying you a visit in the
near future,” the deCODE endorsement
states. “Give them a warm welcome
and have your envelopes ready if you
choose to participate.”
While this is undoubtedly clever,
it’s also devious if you believe that par-
ticipation in research should be volun-
tary and free from any coercion. And
it’s surprising that Iceland’s Bioethics
Committee would allow it. (Didn’t any-
body read that big Special Investiga-
tion Commission report which cited an
absense of regulatory committee over-
sight and cheerleading in the universi-
ties and the press as some of the rea-
sons for the economic crash in 2008?)
Unlike Jehovah’s Witnesses, Lands-
björg is up there with some of society’s
most trusted institutions. After all,
they’re the ones who voluntarily go out
looking for lost people and make mi-
raculous rescues. When a member of
the search and rescue team shows up
at your door to collect your DNA, your
decision is not only about participating
in the research, but also about support-
ing (or not supporting) search and res-
cue efforts.
Incidentally, I received a DNA re-
quest in the mail not too long ago, and
decided not to return the “Buccal DNA
transport pouch,” as appealing as it
was to get a deCODE workout T-shirt
as a ‘Thank-you’ gift. For starters, giv-
ing my DNA to deCODE means that I
am effectively giving my parent’s DNA
too, and it’s quite possible that one or
both of them would prefer not to share
this information. In fact, deCODE has
used DNA information of relatives to
impute genetic information onto Ice-
landers who never consented to be
part of such studies.
Who knows what they might do
with it, right? In marked departure from
their typical research into diseases and
disorders, deCODE recently began
looking into whether artistic creativity
is hereditary and if it can be linked to
mental illnesses such as schizophrenia
and manic depression. To that end, de-
CODE CEO Kári Stefánsson has been
sending personal letters to members of
Iceland’s art community asking them to
send him their DNA.
Unlike Kári, the man on our cover
this issue—i8 Gallery Director Börkur
Arnarson—says he’s not sure that the
tremendous creative output coming
out of Iceland is due to a creative gene.
He does, however, have a lot to say
about the arts after running Iceland’s
foremost independent gallery for the
last 20 years. Turn to page 19 to read
our interview with him.
Photographer: Ari Magg
www.arimagg.com
On The Cover: Börkur Arnarson
Make-Up: Flóra Karítas Buenaño
Contributing Writers
Ben Smick
Björn Teitsson
Bob Cluness
Davíð Roach
John Rogers
Kári Tulinius
Óli Dóri
Snorri Páll Jónsson Úlfhildarson
Tony Pandola
Ben Smick
Journalist
Larissa Kyzer / larissa@grapevine.is
Journalist & Listings editor
Tómas Gabríel Benjamin / gabriel@grapevine.is
Editorial Interns
Yasmin Nowak / yasmin@grapevine.is
Fred Q. Labelle / fred@grapevine.is
Jonathan Pattishall / jonathan@grapevine.is
Laura Clark / laura@grapevine.is
Art Director
Hörður Kristbjörnsson / hordur@dodlur.is
Design:
Hrefna Sigurðardóttir
Photographers:
Nanna Dís / www.nannadis.com
Alísa Kalyanova / www. alisakalyanova.com
Sales Director:
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Hilmar Steinn Grétarsson,
Hörður Kristbjörnsson,
Jón Trausti Sigurðarson,
Oddur Óskar Kjartansson,
Valur Gunnarsson
The Reykjavík Grapevine is published 18 times a year by Fröken ltd.
Monthly from November through April, and fortnightly from May til
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