Reykjavík Grapevine - 21.06.2019, Blaðsíða 2

Elín Elísabet is an illus-
trator and cartoonist
born and raised in
Borgarnes. At the
tender age of 15, Elín
moved to Reykjavík
and hasn’t looked
back, except for the
annual springtime
impulse to move
someplace quiet
and keep chickens.
Elín likes folk music,
stationery, seal vid-
eos, the country of
Ireland, and eggs.
Hannah Jane Cohen
is based out of Ice-
land by way of New
York. An alumni of
Columbia University,
Hannah has lived
on five continents
and speaks three
languages fluently.
Her visionary work is
known for expand-
ing the definitions of
emotion, introspec-
tion, and above all
else, taste.
John Rogers is an
Englishman who first
joined Grapevine
as a music writer,
later graduating to
Managing Editor. A
constant traveller
and a lover of art,
culture, food & night-
life, he edits our Best
of Reykjavík, Best of
Iceland, and Iceland
Airwaves sister
publications. His first
book, “Real Life,” was
published in 2014.
Shruthi Basappa
traded the warmth
of Indian summers
for Iceland's Arctic
winds. She's a food
enthusiast masquer-
ading as an architect
at Sei Studio, and
loves obsessive
attention to detail.
When not leading
our Best of Reykjavík
food panel, she can
be found trying to
become a Michelin
restaurant inspector.
Sveinbjörn Pálsson
is our Art Director.
He's responsible for
the design of the
magazine and the
cover photography.
When he's not work-
ing here, he DJs as
Terrordisco, hosts
the Funkþátturinn
radio show, or sits at
a table in a Laugarda-
lur café, drinking
copious amounts of
coffee and thinking
about fonts.
Josie Gaitens is a
Grapevine intern who
is also a freelance
arts project coor-
dinator, musician
and writer from the
Scottish Highlands.
She was once errone-
ously referred to as
the Queen of Scot-
land by a Malaysian
newspaper and has
been falsely using
that title ever since.
Andie Fontaine has
lived in Iceland since
1999 and has been
reporting since 2003.
They were the first
foreign-born mem-
ber of the Icelandic
Parliament, in 2007-
08, an experience
they recommend for
anyone who wants
to experience a
workplace where
colleagues work tire-
lessly to undermine
each other.
Felix Robertson is
a theology student
from the UK who is
currently on a gap
year and is trying,
with varying degrees
of success, to ‘find’
himself in the frigid
wastes of the north.
He likes classical
music, long walks
and really dead lan-
guages. He's one of
our current interns.
Lóa Hlín Hjálmtýsdóttir
is a national treasure.
One of Iceland's
leading illustra-
tors, when she's
not drawing in her
unique style, she's
the front-woman of
Icelandic electro-
pop supergroup FM
Belfast. Her comic
strip Lóaboratorium
appears every issue
on page 8, and is also
available as a daily
dose on her Twitter.
First 06: Climate Policy Debate Gets Heated14: Assange Case Could Affect Reporters16: Marko Svart's Green Fashion
35: Steinunn's Endless
Sculpture Idea
24: First Blood: The
Arrival Of ROKKY
36: Bergur Anderson's
Surreal Art World
50: Blóm í Bæ Makes
Hveragerði Bloom
45: A Night Of Korean
Food Bliss
46: Finding The Heart
Of The Highlands

Iceland has always been
a powerhouse when it
comes to music. We are, of course,
always proud of our electronic music
pioneer Björk; as well as Sigur Rós,
who created a new type of ambient
rock in the ‘90s and naughties. Now we
have international pop bands like Of
Monsters And Men and Kaleo to beam
about.
But something else has been brewing
in the Icelandic music scene.
A steady stream of incredibly
talented classical musicians have been
emerging over the last few years, and
Iceland now has a few international
stars in the classical world, includ-
ing our new cover star of this issue,
composer Anna Þorvaldsdóttir.
I also must name former Grapevine
cover star Víkingur Heiðar Guðjóns-
son. Hildur Guðnadóttir is a composer
that most have probably heard with-
out realising it, on the soundtracks for
the likes of ‘Chernobyl’ and ‘The Hand-
maid’s Tale.’ She’s also working on the
score for the upcoming blockbuster-in-
waiting, ‘The Joker.’ María Huld Markan
Sigfúsdóttir is another rising star who
was included on The New York Times’
shortlist of the best classical tracks of
2018.
It’s always amazing that an island
nation of 340,000 people can produce
such diverse, high-level art. One could
think that this was rather a nation of
34 million, then a 340,000. Then again,
it’s probably the small size of the nation
that allows talented people to reach
their full potential, even if we some-
times behave as if we are ten times
bigger than we really are.
You can read our interview with
Anna Þorvaldsdóttir on page 19. And
do yourself a favour and get acquainted
with Iceland’s classical scene, for they
are the heart and soul of a nation. Check
out our Spotify playlist of their work at
gpv.is/summerclass. VG
EDITORIAL
A Classical Summer
ON THE COVER:
Anna Þorvaldsdóttir
PHOTO
Anna Maggý
ABOUT THE PICTURE:
The cover is the
meeting of two
brilliant women, world
conquering composer
Anna Þorvaldsdóttir and
art wunderkind Anna
Maggý, portraying a
fusion of darkness and
stillness.
For more information and bookings:
www.thelavatunnel.is
+354 519 1616 +354 760 1000
info@thelavatunnel.is
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