Reykjavík Grapevine - 21.06.2019, Síða 50

Flowers In
Town
Farming culture and green innovation at
Hveragerði’s Blóm Í Bæ festival
Words & Photos: John Rogers
Hveragerði is a town not far
from Reykjavík that's known for
its geothermally active location,
streets lined with leafy trees, gen-
tly pastoral atmosphere—and its
greenhouses. On
the descent from
t he Hel l i sheiði
mountain pass,
large plumes of
steam rol l into
the air from the
mountai n s l i n-
ing the valley, and
white clouds even
rise from the centre of the town
itself. Long lines of greenhouses
stand out amongst the quiet resi-
dential streets, glowing with nat-
urally-powered lamps to produce a
year-round harvest of fresh fruit,
vegetables, plants and flowers.
It's also home to the annual
festival Blóm í Bæ, or "Flowers in
Town." This weekend event took
place for the eighth time from June
14-17th, and celebrated Hveragerði's
community and culture with a pro-
gramme of exhibitions, markets,
activities, displays, outdoor arts,
and music performances.
Walking in Eden
Rolling into town from Reykjavík,
it was clear that the event is a hit
with locals. Families meandered
slowly around the streets, children
screamed and leapt around on
bouncy castles, the cafés and shops
were popping, the roadsides were
lined with flower arrangements,
and several of the town’s green-
houses had been opened up to the
public. The town park had been
augmented with a walking trail of
artworks made from natural mate-
rials, such as tree trunks, patches
of grass and even a river island
coated with purple lupin petals.
One busy greenhouse, chris-
tened "Eden" for the occasion of
Blóm í Bæ, had become the cen-
tre of the festival, with a display
of bees making honey, a stand
with exotic chillies to try—from
a tasty and mild purple chilli to a
fiery miniature
bonsai breed—
a n d s t a n d s
w ith impres-
sively cultivated
f lowers, fresh
vegetables and
verdant house-
plants for sale.
People chatted
in the warm, light and airy space,
amiably opening up the oftentimes
hermetic culture of the town's
farmers and growers.
Grassroots innovation
Nearby, the ever-engaging Lis-
tasafn Árnesinga art museum
mounted an environmentally-
minded exhibition for the occa-
sion. Alongside a large-scale show
of historical paintings and an ex-
hibition of artwork looking at lo-
cal mythology, the café area was
showing the results of a design
contest, staged in collaboration
with the Umhverfis Suðurland en-
vironmental practices organisa-
tion, called "Úrgangur í Auðlind,"
or "Waste into Worth." The chal-
lenge at hand was to use environ-
mentally friendly, reclaimed and
biodegradable materials in fresh
and ingenious ways.
Entrants had risen to the chal-
lenge, and the projects on show
were diverse and interesting. The
winner was a project that recycled
waste paper into planters for young
trees, replacing the plastic pots of-
ten used to stabilise and protect
saplings with a sturdy biodegrad-
able support. Other celebrated
projects ranged from landscap-
ing barren land in the southern
countryside to better support flora
and birdlife; using swatches of
sample materials and old clothing
labels to make bags and blankets;
and using found objects and un-
wanted ephemera to make jewel-
lery and art. It was an inspiring
look at how green thinking can
happen from the ground up, and
how innovation can blossom from
people in small communities.
Blóm Í Bæ offered an enjoy-
able and engaging glimpse into
the life, work and community of
Hveragerði, and a heartening look
into grassroots environmental in-
novation that city-based folk could
do well to heed.
Travel Distance from Reykjavík: 47 km How to get there: Route One SouthFurther information: blomibae.is & lisatsafnarnesinga.is
The Eden greenhouse in Hveragerði
“It’s an inspiring
look at how green
innovation can
blossom in small
communities.”
Bjarkarblóm also has a stall in the Smáralind shopping centre
The best of Icelandic produce
with a nod to Japan and South
America. Modern Icelandic
flavours, share plates and award
winning cocktails.
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