Reykjavík Grapevine - 21.04.2017, Side 38

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Moonage
Daydreams
Halldór Eldjárn and 'Hidden Figures'
Words: Valur Gunnarsson Photo: 20th Century Fox
For eons, mankind dreamed of go-
ing to the moon. And we did, but
now the memory seems to be slip-
ping back into some mythologi-
cal past. Like Dark Age barbarians
looking back on the Romans, there
were things we could do once, but
do no more.
Probably the first movie to ad-
dress space age technology as the
ancient past was the first ‘Star
Trek’ film from 1979. A fictional
Voyager 6, based on the real-life
Voyagers 1 and 2 (which are, as we
speak, heading farther and farther
into where no man has gone be-
fore), is rediscovered by Kirk and
his crew in the distant future. To-
day, it seems strange that man was
able to walk on the moon with less
computing power than the phone
you may currently be reading
this on. It’s stranger still that we
haven’t gone back.
This sense of wonder informs
‘Poco Apollo’, Halldór Eldjárn’s
instillation at Mengi. It features
pictures of the moon and man,
while computers create genera-
tive music that probably uses more
computing power than the Apollo
program itself. It’s interesting to
think that at the time of the moon
landing, the Beatles were still to-
gether and the kids dug the Grate-
ful Dead. Music has progressed
more—or at least changed more—
than lunar travel in the interven-
ing half-century. The exhibit was
one night only, but Halldór’s piece
can still be accessed at pocoapollo.
hdor.is
Back to the Moon
It’s been a good long while since we
had a movie about the space race.
The last proper historical space
film was 1995’s ‘Apollo 13’, which
was about a near disaster. ‘The
Right Stuff’, from 1983, remains
the gold standard for aficionados,
but the race for space has lately
featured in action films such as
‘Transformers: Dark of the Moon’
and ‘Men in Black III’. So it’s some-
thing of a joy to have a new period
film set in those glory days, when
everything still seemed possible.
Even if part of the point is to show
that they weren’t all that glorious.
There’s no need to go deeply into
the racial and gender issues por-
trayed in ‘Hidden Figures’—the
film amply makes its own points.
Suffice to say that the word “com-
puter” derives from women who
did calculations for 19th century
astronomers for little pay and even
less credit. This is addressed in
the film, where the girls are com-
puters and the computers are just
IBMs.
Mad Men in Space?
Everyone is where they need to be
in ‘Hidden Figures’. Kevin Cost-
ner, who looks like he belongs in
the 1960s, is there. Moonlight
man is the hunk. Big Bang Theory
guy is the annoying engineer and
Kirsten Dunst the stuffy white
girl. The three leads are (to most
Icelanders) largely unknown.
But this isn’t quite Mad Men In
Space. The music tells you exactly
what you should be feeling, and it’s
a remarkably feel-good film, given
its dark undertone of segregation.
From the beginning, one gets the
sense that everything will be fine.
And it usually is.
The characters are strongly
sketched as either good or bad,
with little room for nuance, but
the setting is largely accurate. This
is a side of the 1960s that it’s useful
to be reminded of through our oth-
erwise rose-tinted retro-glasses.
But despite everything, this is a
historical film that gives you hope
for the future of our species. We
did manage to advance, both tech-
nologically and morally, at least
for a while. And that is something.
SHARE: gpv.is/moon06
Museums
ÁRBÆR OPEN AIR MUSEM
Daily guided tours
Tours are rom 13:00 to 14:00 through
its open air exhibits.
• On permanent view.
THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF ICELAND
'The Making of A Nation'
This exhibition is intended to pro-
vide insight into the history of the
Icelandic nation from Settlement to
the present day.
• On permanent view
REYKJAVÍK CITY MUSEUM
‘Settlement Sagas: Accounts from
Manuscripts’
This exhibition has rarely seen
manuscripts that tell the history of
the settlement of Reykjavík.
• On permanent view
REYKJAVÍK MARITIME MUSEUM
'The Coast Guard Vessel Óðinn'
This vessel sailed through all three
Cod Wars and has also served as a
rescue ship to more than 200 ships.
• On permanent view
'From Poverty to Abundance'
Photos documenting Icelandic
fishermen at the turn of the 20th
century.
• On permanent view
'The History of Sailing'
Iceland’s maritime history that
showcases the growth of the Reyk-
javík Harbour.
• On permanent view
'Seawomen'
The fishing women of Iceland, past
and present
• On permanent view
VOLCANO HOUSE
The exhibition gives a brief overview
of Iceland’s magnificent nature.
• On permanent view
THE ICELANDIC PHALLOLOGICAL
MUSEUM
Permanent Exhibition
More than 215 penises and penile
parts belonging to land and sea
mammals of Iceland.
• On permanent view
Film
This month's special screenings at Bíó Paradís! For complete schedule,
visit www.bioparadis.is.
Currently Screening
• Hedda Gabler
• The Mask
• Polish Film Days: Afterimage,
Powidoki, Saklausar, Niewinne, The
Innocents, Leynilegur samherji,
Tajemniczy sojusznik, Secret Sharer,
Souvenir
Á Nýjum Stað
• Almost Famous Party Screening!
• Mamma Mia! Party Screening!
• No Man's Land
• Spólað Yfir Hafið
Events
Daily departures at 08:30
Visit Seljalandsfoss Waterfall,
Skógarfoss Waterfall,
Sólheimajökull Glacier and
Reynisara the Black Sand Beach
Price: 13.400 ISK
BOOK
ONLINE &
GET
STERNATR
AVEL .COM
THE BEAUTIFUL
SOUTH COAST
WALK U
P TO A
GLACI
ER
BLACK SAND BEACH
WALK BEHIND SELJALANDSFOSS