Reykjavík Grapevine - 13.09.2019, 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 Iceland
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.
Alexander Jean
Edvard Le Sage
de Fontenay is a
Reykjavík-born part-
time DJ (under the
pseudonym Bervit),
event-planner and
lover of art, creation
and aesthetics. Most
recent endeavors in-
clude co-producing
The Grapevine’s own
Grassroots concerts
at Húrra and LungA
Art Festival’s busy
event schedule.
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.
Samuel O Donnell
Sam is an English
major from The
United States. He
has his Bachelor’s
Degree, and keeps
telling himself that
this is the year he
will begin pursu-
ing his Master’s. In
his spare time, he
enjoys playing video
games, writing short
horror stories, listen-
ing to all kinds of
metal, and reading.
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.
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 12: Post Office Getting Its Act Together 14: The Pink Gold Rush16: From Bombs To Budget Airline 24: Bio Queens Break The Norm 30: Gabríel Ólafs at One Little Indian 36: Listastofan Bids Adieu
I c e l a n d i s
sti l l trying
t o r e c o v e r
f r o m t h e
very expected
bankruptcy
of WOW air
earlier this year. The summer
high season for tourism is draw-
ing to a close and the data is start-
ing to trickle in. And it’s mixed.
A report released by Arion Bank
this month shows in black and
white the impact that WOW’s fall
had on the tourism sector. There
has been a 17% reduction of
tourists to Iceland in just four
months.
At the same time, the figures
show that tourist that still choose
to come to Iceland are spending
more money than ever before.
Perhaps that’s not a surprise, as
WOW Air was offering such low-
cost airfare that they were prac-
tically paying bargain-hunting
passengers to fly with them. No
wonder they crashed right on the
nose in April and filed for bank-
ruptcy after a tedious and very
public financial struggle.
Analysts think Iceland’s tour-
ism numbers will rebound, but
slowly—a 2% increase in tour-
ists is forecasted for next year,
so our troubles are far from over.
In this odd landscape, we have
seen ambitious plans to restore
the fallen airline. The most
promising replacement now is
probably WAB Air, which is run
by former key staff from WOW
Air. The other possibility is a
little more dubious, with the
arms dealer formerly known
as Michele Ballarin, buying up
all WOW’s assets and is aiming
to be up and running in October.
We say “good luck,” but hope at
the same time that financiers and
CEOs approach this market with
much more restraint and caution
than their predecessors—one bad
apple means a lot of people losing
their jobs, and even affecting the
whole economy in a way that no
one can afford. VG
EDITORIAL
The Race For
A New Airline
COVER PHOTO:
Magnús Andersen
Magnúsandersen.co.uk
Styling and props:
Ólöf Rut Stefánsdóttir
Make up:
Fjóla Valdís Bjarnadóttir
Clothes from:
Wasteland Reykjavik
45: BioBorgari Saves
The World
46: Iceland On The Cheap
48: Hunting Snorri
Sturluson (Again)
Special thanks to:
Garðyrkjudeild
Landbúnaðarháskóla
Íslands
For more information and bookings:
www.thelavatunnel.is
+354 519 1616 +354 760 1000
info@thelavatunnel.is
Breathtaking
Experience
is a
A journey into ARHÓLSHELLIRRAUF

The highlight of our Iceland trip!
Reviewed on TripAdvisor