Reykjavík Grapevine - 10.04.2015, Page 27

TVEIR HRAFNAR listhús, Art Gallery
Baldursgata 12 101 Reykjavík (at the corner of Baldursgata and Nönnugata, facing Þrír Frakkar Restaurant)
Phone: +354 552 8822 +354 863 6860 +354 863 6885 art@tveirhrafnar.is www.tveirhrafnar.is
Opening hours: Thu-Fri 12pm - 5pm, Sat 1pm - 4pm and by appointment +354 863 6860
TVEIR HRAFNAR
listhús, Art Gallery
offers a range of artwork by
contemporary Icelandic artists
represented by the gallery,
selected works by acclaimed
artists and past Icelandic
masters.
Hallgrímur Helgason
Húbert Nói Jóhannesson
Jón Óskar
Óli G. Jóhannsson
Ragnar Þórisson
Steinunn Þórarinsdóttir
Also works by:
Guðbjörg Lind Jónsdóttir
Hulda Hákon
Sara Oskarsson
Kristján Davíðsson
Nína Tryggvadóttir
– among others
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27The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 4 — 2015 LITERATURE
Ever since the year 2008, the word
“kreppa” (crisis) has been among the
most-used by Icelanders’, a part of
daily parlance and the subject of many
a publication, dissertation and research
venture. The little island
suddenly had the world's
spotlight, and not neces-
sarily for the right rea-
sons. As an architect and
a fairly new resident of
Iceland, this has been a
topic of personal interest
for me.
‘Scarcity In Excess’, a
collective effort, moder-
ated by Arna Mathiesen,
comes years after the
fact: a study in hindsight,
a post-mortem of the
events leading up to the collapse, and
its aftermath, both invaluable mines of
information with lessons to be gleaned
going forward. The book is distinctively
different from other collapse-themed
ventures, as it is led by architects, a class
of professionals for whom the phrase
“seen but not heard” seems tailor-made.
Our cities are a reflection of the as-
pirations of their inhabitants, one which
architects realise, literally. We architects
literally shape our environment, yet sel-
dom get involved in public discourse
about said environment. It is in this light,
that the book’s efforts shine through.
Written in a clear, concise, matter-of-
fact manner, the collection of essays
manages to straddle research and data,
facts and figures, speaking in an ap-
proachable, balanced, hopeful voice.
It is inviting in its simplicity, an insight-
ful read for the layman as well as the
professional. Far too often, jargon and
circuitous analysis prevents the ama-
teur enthusiast from picking up a book
by professionals. ‘Scarcity’ manages
to gracefully tie in content with a light
hand, guiding readers to draw their own
conclusions. You only need to smile, and
look beyond the glaring spelling errors
and repetitive text that mar an otherwise
pleasant read.
Tinna Grétarsdóttir and Bryndís
Björnsdóttir’s contribution, “Run For
Your Life,” is a personal favourite out of
the collection, capturing the angst and
anxiety of entrepreneurs, an unforeseen
yet unavoidable apect of the collapse.
It's written in a tongue-in-cheek, sar-
castic fashion, as the writers’ alter-ego,
“i(m)material girl,” understands the im-
portance of staying innovative, flexible,
and fit. Working alone and without rest,
strikes and worker solidarity are out of
reach to the immaterial labourer. While
moving from one temporary project to
another, i(m)material girl must be will-
ing to work for very little and sometimes
for nothing at all. She must also be will-
ing to work on her off-hours to realise
her own creative projects and perpetual
deadlines. Bryndís and Tinna go on to
say: “Neo-liberal enterprise culture tells
the self-responsible, self-employed and
self-marketed creative workers that they
are in control, yet only at the price of in-
security and vulnerable working condi-
tions. It encourages anticipated confor-
mity.”
While the book’s topics don’t make
for light reading (nor is it written in a way
that would soften the blow), the facts
and figures rather present an objective
and—thereby—hopeful, promising sce-
nario. Iceland may be a rocky, volcanic,
windy little island, but the resources
unique to this land—fossil-free en-
ergy—are certainly abundant. However,
the policies currently in
place are exploitative in
nature, contrary to what
our leaders would have
us believe. In a very well-
written essay, “Scarce Or
Abundant Resources,”
Arna Mathiesen captures
the essence of the book’s
title. According to Arna,
Iceland already pro-
duces more energy, fish
and drinking water than
the per-day, per-capita
requirements. Adding
aluminium smelters in hitherto pro-
tected areas of geological and natural
importance will not make a dent in what
is being touted as a an efficient way to
boost the economy. Tempting as it is to
solve the world’s energy crisis (by sell-
ing power to the UK and the EU) , all this
“development” comes at a heavy price.
It brings up questions of context, scale
and efficiency—along with necessity and
ethics (the latest land-use plans con-
cern a transport-energy corridor of sorts
through the highlands, which would aid
industries and tourism. Ahem).
Scale is a recurring leitmotif. “Big
Plans/Small City” is reflective of many
a foreigner's first impression of Reykja-
vík. On my first visit in 2011, I was fasci-
nated by this capital town (for someone
from a metropolitan Indian city, Reyk-
javík seems rather... tiny). In Reykjavík,
you are never far from nature (this still
delights me), which is what attracts
tourists and adds to Iceland’s mystery.
Several competitions since then high-
light the ambitions of The City, versus
the importance of nature. The recently
concluded competition and ongoing
housing projects in Úlfarsárdalur are a
testimony to this ambiguity. Is the value
of land only determined by its real estate
price?
The research and findings that
books like ‘Scarcity In Excess’ throw up
are not essential only in the Icelandic
context. Just as the hand-in-glove in-
volvement of the real estate developers
and banks became fodder for lessons
in governance and transparency for the
whole world, questions about Iceland’s
built environment now are crucial, given
that by the year 2050, more than half the
global urban population will be living in
cities on the scale of Reykjavík, with less
than 500,000 inhabitants (according to
projections from Statistics Iceland, Ice-
land’s population will grow from 313,376
to 408,835 between 2008 and 2050).
Are the mountains and the sea soon
going to be the distinct luxury, only
available to those with goose felt-lined
silk pockets? To whom does the city be-
long? Where did we go wrong? Where
are we? Where do we want to go? What
is this Iceland we are building, and for
whom are we building it?
These are questions the book at-
tempts to answer. It isn’t an easy read,
indeed, it leaves you with a stirring of
unease. But, all our actions carry weight.
We can all be—we all are—agents of
change.
Reviewed by
Shruthi Basappa
Agents Of Change
'Scarcity In Excess:
The Built Environment And
The Economic Crisis In Iceland'
by Arna Mathiesen, Giambattista
Zaccariotto and Thomas Forget
Actar (2014)