Reykjavík Grapevine - 10.03.2017, Qupperneq 12

Words
PAUL
FONTAINE
Photos
VARVARA
LOZENKO
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IN A QUIET RESIDENTIAL NEIGH-
BOURHOOD of east Reykjavík, re-
tired fisherman Sigurður Petersen can
be found most afternoons sitting in
his garage, lovingly carving figurines
out of wood. He diligent-
ly works with the garage
door open, especially in
the autumn and winter.
Walking past this unas-
suming workshop, you
will notice shelves lined
with the fruits of his la-
bours: dwarves, wizards,
characters from the
Sagas, fishermen from
his home village, masks
styled after South Pacif-
ic cultures. Apart from
a modest Facebook page
and the occasional sojourn to craft
shows, this garage, which Sigurður
dubbed “Gluggagallerý” (“window gal-
lery”), is the only venue through which
he sells his wares.
Sigurður grew up in Stokkseyri, a
tiny village on the south coast of Ice-
land. He spent his whole life in and
around the sea: going to navigation
school, joining the Merchant Fleet,
eventually becoming a captain.
“In 2000, I quit sailing and started
to work ashore, and started
thinking about what hobby I
should try,” he tells us, show-
ing us around his workshop.
“Like anyone else, I started
by trying golf, but I didn't go
anywhere there, so I gave up.
It was important for me to
do something creative and
productive. I've been doing
carvings since 2004, and I
enjoy every minute of it. The
first two or three years, the
stuff I made was nothing
special, but I kept going.”
Keep going he did, and the shelves
of his garage take us on a journey
through his creative process. Dwarves,
carved at the behest of his grandchil-
dren, elves, and Saga figures such as
Egill Skallagrímsson, Gréttir, Glámur
the troll and others stand at attention
on the shelves. Not that he confines
himself to a strictly Icelandic context:
he also takes his inspiration from books
of folk art from around the world. “I like
to do different things,” he says. “I don’t
like to do the same thing over and over.
Sometimes these guys are inspired by
reading stories. There were no pictures;
I'd just try to see in my mind what they
look like.”
There is no shortage of raw materi-
als, either, as Sigurður tells us the wood
itself comes mostly from neighbours
who offer him branches from trees
they’ve trimmed. Otherwise, he gets
his wood from Sorpa. Nonetheless, he
is particular: he prefers to work with
birch, which he believes “has the most
life” to it. He also never sands his pieces,
as he believes it’s important for the figu-
rines to look hand-carved.
Despite this extensive body of work,
the garage remains the main venue
through which he sells his figurines.
“I have this Facebook page, Glug-
gagallerý, and that's it,” he says. “I do
bring my carvings to markets, about
two or three times a year. Not Kólapor-
tið, though. I like my freedom.” He has
shown his figurines at Kex Hostel and
Reykjavík City Hall, amongst other plac-
es. But mostly, he just carves figurines
with the garage door open, and people
walking by just stop over and check out
his stuff. "A lot of tourists stop by, es-
pecially in the summer, as they walk by
this way on their way to Perlan," he says.
One of the most striking parts of his
collection are a series of men, each com-
pletely individual from the other, stand-
ing with their hands in their pockets
with expressions of anticipation. "These
are fishermen from my home village of
Stokkseyri,” Sigurður explains. “These
guys would go down to the seaside ear-
ly in the morning or late in the night,
standing by the fish houses. They would
stand and wait, especially if the weather
was dubious, wondering if they should
keep waiting or go back home again.
Some of these guys I've given names."
As for the future of Gluggagallerý,
Sigurður has no ambitions to expand
this venture into an actual shop down-
town, but he intends to keep exploring
new subjects for creation.
"I might start carving the old Icelan-
dic Santas. The bad ones, you know. I've
already done the Coca-Cola Santas,” he
tells us. “I've tried other forms, but I al-
ways come back to the figurines. I can't
see myself renting a shop downtown
and standing behind a counter for eight
hours a day. I like my freedom. This is
what I like to do."
To see and possibly buy some of
Sigurður’s work, you can search
“Gluggagallery” on Facebook, and
the page lists his phone number—he
recommends people call ahead to be
sure he’s home. Or you can email him
at sigurdur.petersen@gmail.com.
INTERVIEW
The Woodsman
The modest, surprising beauty of Gluggagallerý
“I might start
carving the
old Icelandic
Santas. The
bad ones, you
know. I've
already done
the Coca-
Cola Santas”
12 The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 03 — 2017
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