Reykjavík Grapevine - 11.09.2015, Blaðsíða 2

Reykjavík Grapevine - 11.09.2015, Blaðsíða 2
2 The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 1 — 2011 Chamber music ensemble Nordic Affect has made a name for itself as an outstanding en- semble of female players who strive to cham- pion the works of female composers. The new album, ‘Clockworking’, showcases new works that combine historical performance tradi- tions with fresh new sounds. And you can sample it right now! Over the course of the ten-minute “Sleep- ing Pendulum,” composed by María Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir (of Amiina fame), we hear the ghostly shimmers of string harmon- ics, the meditative entrance and exit of bells, and string melodies reminiscent of the tra- ditional Icelandic music “tvísöngur.” Some- times, the melodies interact more dissonant- ly, and sometimes they appear quite sweet, almost nostalgic. In this composition, María has taken a historical lineage and swung the style this way and that, though this “pendu- lum” still swings quite gently. You won't ever mistake “Sleeping Pendu- lum” for early classical music, as it certainly has one foot in the contemporary world. Fleeting moments come and go in this evoca- tive and beautiful piece, and for an album titled 'Clockworking', it makes for a perfect concluding moment. Download it now etc. 2 The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 14 — 2015 Hafnarstræti 15, 101 Reykjavík www.grapevine.is grapevine@grapevine.is Published by Fröken ehf. www.froken.is Member of the Icelandic Travel Industry Association www.saf.is Printed by Landsprent ehf. in 25.000 copies. Editor In Chief: Haukur S Magnússon / haukur@grapevine.is Journalist & Travel editor: John Rogers / john@grapevine.is Journalist & Listings editor Gabríel Benjamin / gabriel@grapevine.is Food Editor: Ragnar Egilsson / ragnar@grapevine.is Editorial: +354 540 3600 / editor@grapevine.is Advertising: +354 540 3605 / ads@grapevine.is +354 40 3610 Publisher: Hilmar Steinn Grétarsson / hilmar@grapevine.is +354 540 3601 / publisher@grapevine.is Contributing Writers: Anna Manning Benjamin Julian Björn Teitsson Eiríkur Örn Norðdahl Gísli Halldór Halldórsson Hannah Jane Cohen Haukur Hilmarsson Kári Tulinius Óli Dóri Paul Fontaine Páll Ragnar Pálsson Ragnar Þorvarðarson Vera Illugadóttir York Underwood Editorial Interns: Alexander de Ridder / alexander@grapevine.is Sam Wright Fairbanks / sam@grapevine.is Art Director: Hörður Kristbjörnsson / hordur@dodlur.is Design: Hrefna “Cool” Sigurðardóttir / hrefna@grapevine.is Contributing Photographers: Art Bicnick Anna Domnick Hörður Sveinsson Sales Director: Aðalsteinn Jörundsson / adalsteinn@grapevine.is Helgi Þór Harðarson / helgi@grapevine.is Óskar Freyr Pétursson / oskar@grapevine.is Distribution manager: distribution@grapevine.is Proofreader: Mark Asch releases: listings@grapevine.is Submission inquiries: editor@grapevine.is Subscription inquiries: +354 540 3605 / subscribe@grapevine.is General inquiries: grapevine@grapevine.is Founders: 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 October. Nothing in this magazine may be repro- duced in whole or in part without the written permission of the publishers. The Reykjavík Grapevine is distributed around Reykjavík, Akureyri, Egilsstaðir, Seyðisfjörður, Borgarnes, Keflavík, Ísafjörður and at key locations along road #1, and all major tourist attractions and tourist information centres in the country. You may not like it, but at least it's not sponsored (no articles in the Reykjavík Grapevine are pay-for articles. The opinions expressed are the writers’ own, not the advertisers’). On the cover: Bryndís Björgvinsdóttir Photographer: Axel Sigurðarson www.axelsig.com Thanks: Bernharð Kristinn SPECIAL EDITION! PAY ATTENTION! Hi. I’m Haukur. I edit a tourist magazine for a living. It’s a fun magazine; it’s informative for tourists, and it has comix. I also like to tell myself that we have on occasion managed to be a force for good, mostly through promoting open dis- course and providing a venue for voices that might otherwise go unheard. Anyway, magazine editors are mostly useless in the greater scheme of things. Nobody cares what they have to say. So I’m going to stop saying things, and cede this space to an actual person of value, who does important, selfless work of the sort that actively benefits us humans. Look! --- The Helping Hand Of The Petite Bourgeoisie To those doubting we can help refugees By: Ragnar Þorvarðarson Vice Chair of the Red Cross in Reykjavik After last week, I am convinced that small actions can create a great impact. On a Sunday afternoon near the end of Au- gust, I saw that an old friend had set up a small event on Face- book. She was encouraging people to pressure the govern- ment into accepting a higher number of refugees from Syria, in reaction to the increased numbers of refugees and asylum seekers risking their lives to get to safety in Europe. In the week that followed, offers to assist refugees in need have poured in, and the government formed a Ministerial Com- mittee to review the numbers of people Iceland will accept. Following the solidarity on social media, the Red Cross in Iceland saw a surge in new volunteers. In roughly a week, 1,100 people nationwide signed up to become volunteers. Last Monday, over 200 people showed up to an open infor- mation meeting held at the Red Cross headquarters in Reyk- javik. The Minister of Welfare, Eygló Harðardóttir, has al- ready noted that Ministry officials have contacted the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to announce Iceland’s interest in welcoming refugees from Syria. In Alþingi’s opening session on Tuesday, Eygló said: “We can, and should help those in need, both at home and abroad.” The social media call and the concerned voices have obviously influenced the debate on migration and refugee issues here in a positive way. However, not all voices are positive, with some people claiming that such initiatives are naive and lack practi- cal thought. I would argue that mocking people in search of safety or labelling the efforts of those willing to help as “Samúðarhræsni smáborgara” (“Pity hypocrisy of petite bourgeoisie,” as I'd translate it), which we have seen in Ice- landic papers over the last week, does not help us tackle the issue. I believe that with informed discussions on the topic, we can avoid the negative voices distracting us. We need to start making firm decisions on assisting more people, and we need to do it in a proper way. From 1956, the efforts of welcoming refugees to the country have been done in cooperation between the state, municipalities, the Red Cross and the people themselves. It is very important that people get the support they need, not only support to arrive here but also official support and help with settling into a new country. Getting used to living in a new country also needs to be supported by the work of capable professionals, psychologist, psychiatrists and social workers. This week, a young man spoke with Morgunblaðið about his experience of arriving in Iceland from Kosovo in 1999. He explained that the empathy of Icelanders had saved his life: “Now I understand that there was no difference between the people in the refugee camps around me at that time, and those dressed in suits in fancy offices across Europe. We can all end up in difficult circumstances in life but with the right opportunities we can all become scientists, doctors, foot- ballers or whatever else, and live decent lives.” The efforts that we can undertake here in Iceland are ef- forts that will create opportunities for people who otherwise would have none. Responding to the increased goodwill towards accepting refugees in Iceland, one commenter on the Grapevine’s Face- book page asked, “So who is going to put a refugee ahead of an Icelander?” In my mind this issue is not about helping one instead of the other. Helping people from other parts of the world surely does not mean that we won't help people here in Iceland. The Red Cross is assisting people domestically in various ways; our staff and volunteers are constantly work- ing with homeless people, individuals dealing with mental illness and various others in different walks of life. All over the world, the Red Cross is helping migrants and refugees to uphold their rights and dignity. In a few months time we will be able to channel all the goodwill of fellow volunteers here in Iceland in assisting refugees that will be welcomed in the country. Let’s also not forget that there are already people here that we can assist now. The Icelandic society that I want to live in is built on val- ues of acceptance and respect for people of different back- grounds. I am pleased to see that the public discourse in this country has been channelled into positive paths, rather than negative ones, as we are unfortunately seeing in too many other European countries. At the same time I believe that we can do more to assist: We need to keep the debate alive and pressure politicians to make swift decisions to help people in need and react quickly to the current crisis. I encourage you to speak up for humanity and share your thoughts with politicians, neighbours, colleagues, family members and friends. Allowing the negative voices to win will surely not make our society a better place to live in. Editorial: Haukur S. Magnússon TRACK OF THE ISSUE A RARE, ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY Visit the largest man-made ice caves and tunnel in Europe You can choose from various tours and book online at www.intotheglacier.is Nordic Affect “Sleeping Pendulum” Download your FREE track at www.grapevine.is Comic | Lóa Hjálmtýsdóttir
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