Reykjavík Grapevine - sep. 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.
a rawlings is Grape-
vine's literature
correspondent, also
covering environ-
mental news, travel,
and more. An inter-
disciplinary artist
whose work focuses
on environmental
ethics, dysfluency,
and watery bodies,
her books include
'Wide slumber for
lepidopterists' and
'Sound of Mull.'
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 14: In Wonderland With The Raven13: Dissoriented Whales14: Vatnajökull Becomes UNESCO Heritage Site
24: Flowing Freely In
Gallery Flæði
26: The Gospel Of Drunk
Food
39: Ed Sheeran's Show:
Our Review
‘The County,’ the latest
film directed by our
cover star Grímur Hákonarson, raises
hard questions, not only about Iceland's
business mentality, but also about the
status of things when it comes to farm-
ers in Iceland. The film attacks a rotten
culture that Icelanders have in some
ways not addressed for a long time and
is still blooming in our society in some
form or another.

In short, the movie tells the story
of Inga, an Icelandic farmer, who finds
herself in a tough spot when tragedy
knocks on her door. Amid her sorrow,
Inga finds a channel for her anger by
attacking a local business that disguises
itself as a cooperative, but has actually
turned its back against the ideals on
which it was founded, and is now driven
by profit for the few, at the expense of
the hard working farmers in the county.
The co-op in Grímur’s movie, Kaup-
félag Erpsfirðinga, is based on a real
company and he is not trying to disguise
it very well. In truth, it’s not really about
one county; it’s about the entire country.
The co-op’s fortune is founded on
monopoly and the fear of some vague
threat that competition from another
company will take everything away from
them.
This is a real debate that has been
ongoing in Iceland, often grounded in
nasty populist rhetoric, especially when
talking about the European Union or
asylum seekers. But it also reflects a
hard truth about Icelandic farmers and
their fear of big bad EU regulations—
like opening the market to the import
of unfrozen meat products—while they
barely survive within the closed Icelan-
dic system, which allows monopolies to
ensure a handful of people are always
getting richer.
Hopefully, ‘The County’ will create a
new platform for debate, and get people
thinking that something has to change,
not only with how Icelandic businesses
often monopolize an industry—which
is incredibly damaging for consumers
and farmers alike—but also, that there
is something rotten in a system where
farmers and producers fail to make ends
meet.
This has to change, and Grímur’s new
film may be the catalyst for a sensitive
national debate. VG
EDITORIAL
The County/The Country
COVER PHOTOS:
Ari Magg
www.arimagg.com
ABOUT THE COVER:
Photographer Ari
and director Grímur
Hákonarson tried to
depict Grímur's roots, as
much of his inspiration
48: Lakagígar:
A Lassie On Laki
46: Whale Watching In
Akureyri
45: Kröst On The Hot Plate
comes from time spent
with relatives in the
Icelandic countryside.
As there wasn't much
time to spare, the
Icelandic countryside
is portrayed by
Húsdýragarðurinn,
the Reykjavík zoo.
More info and tickets
lavacentre.is
Open every day
9:00 - 19:00
Volcano &
Earthquake
Exhibition
LAVA Centre is an awarded, interactive exhibition
on Icelandic volcanoes and earthquakes. Learn
about the most active Icelandic volcanoes and
see all the latest eruptions in 4K. Lava Centre is
a mandatory stop on your Golden Circle or South
Coast adventure.
Located in Hvolsvöllur
80 min drive from Reykjavík
Photo: Eyjafjallajökull Eruption 2010