Lögberg-Heimskringla - 15.10.2006, Blaðsíða 1

David Jón Fuller
EDMONTON, AB — Nel-
son Gerrard spent a weekend in
Edmonton meeting with mem-
bers of the local Icelandic com-
munity to collect information
and scan old photos as part of
his “Silent Flashes” project.
“Silent Flashes” first saw
light as a photo exhibit at the
Western Emigration Centre in
Hofsós, Iceland in 2004.
Now Gerrard is going on
the road to scan as many old
photos and to collect as much
information on them as pos-
sible for the next stage of this
project, which is intended to be
a comprehensive book based on
photos taken in North America
of Icelandic immigrants and
their descendants, focusing on
the period between the 1880s
to the early 1900s.
On October 1 Gerrard held
a special slide show presenta-
tion in the Nordic Room at
the Dutch Canadian Centre in
Edmonton, showing a packed
audience of roughly 30 people
some of the photos he has so
far collected and commenting
on what they reveal of that pe-
riod in history.
One aspect of the Icelandic
immigrants’ life which quickly
comes to light, he noted, was
that they were far from univer-
sally poor; many seen in the
photos had clearly acquired the
means to look after themselves
and their families.
“Old photos can preserve
aspects of history that we don’t
have access to, he said, adding
that they “can communicate in
an emotional way, in a subtle
way that other records perhaps
cannot.”
He provided many ex-
amples, outlining the circum-
stances behind some photos,
and entertaining speculation
regarding those he has so far
not been able to identify. Facial
expressions, setting, clothing
and the arrangement of people
in the photos can provide clues
about their character and rela-
tionships. He added that one’s
interpretation of such things
from the photo alone are sub-
jective; but that there is nev-
ertheless something powerful
about these images.
Nelson Gerrard’s intiner-
ary after the stop in Edmonton
included visits to communities
in British Columbia and Wash-
ington State to meet people
and collect photos and infor-
mation.
If you have old photos or
would like to discuss ths proj-
ect with Nelson Gerrard, con-
tact him at Box 925, Arborg,
Manitoba R0C 0A0, phone
(204) 378-2758, or by e-mail
eyrarbakki@hotmail.com.
$2Single copy price:
Publication Mail Agreement No. 40012014, PAP # 8000 ISSN 0047-4967
LÖGBERG
HEIMSKRINGLA
The Icelandic Community Newspaper • 15 October 2006 • Number 20 / Númer 20 • 15. október 2006
INSIDE
i l
ri :
Landsbanki at
120 years
ICCC meets
in Edmonton
The Icelandic Canadian
Chamber of Commerce met
recently, welcoming new
members and charting its fu-
ture course / page 11
PHOTO COURTESY OF LANDSBANKI ÍSLANDS
Landsbanki Íslands cel-
ebrates its 120th anniversary
this year, and is reaching out
beyond Iceland / page 8
PHOTO: DAVID JÓN FULLER
Women and
Knowledge
The University of Mani-
toba and University of Iceland
held the latest in a series of
joint conferences recently in
Winnipeg / page 6
PHOTO: DAVID JÓN FULLER
Visit us on the web at http://www.lh-inc.ca
Linda Bjarnason
CALGARY, AB — In the
early morning hours of Septem-
ber 4, the Calgary Scandinavian
Centre was broken into and sev-
eral thousand dollars of dam-
age was caused. Thieves came
through the back entrance and
proceeded through the building,
breaking into locked rooms,
cupboards, desks and lockers.
Both levels of the building
saw damage and although a
few valuable items were stolen,
those who broke in were most
likely looking for cash.
Ironically, this break-in oc-
curred only a few weeks after
several years of hard work had
been completed by volunteers,
and a considerable amount of
money had been spent to reno-
vate the centre.
No wanton vandalism oc-
curred and none of the hand-
carved or hand-painted decora-
tive elements were damaged.
The centre is fully insured,
so the cost of the repairs to the
building, replacement of stolen
items, lost business and other
related expenses, will be cov-
ered by the insurance. The City
of Calgary Police Department is
currently working on this case,
but as of October 6, no persons
had been charged.
Break-in at Calgary
Scandinavian Centre
New Canadian
ambassador in Iceland
The new Canadian Ambassador Anne Blauveldt (left)
presented her papers to Predident Ólafur Ragnar Grims-
son (right) at Bessastaðir on September 29. They are seen
here with the ambassador’s husband Jon Brooks.
Nelson Gerrard takes ‘Silent Flashes’ on the road
PHOTO: LINDA BJARNASON
Calgary Scandinavian Centre
PHOTOS: DAVID JÓN FULLER
Nelson Gerrard (left) meets with Gunnar Thorvaldson.
PHOTO: KENT LÁRUS BJÖRNSSON
Guy Maddin
mural unveiled
WINNIPEG, MB — Award-
winning Icelandic-Canadian
filmmaker Guy Maddin was re-
cently honoured with a mural on
the side of the Canadiana Thrift-
lodge, 1400 Notre Dame Avenue,
as part of the “Famous People
and Local Heroes” series. Guy
Maddin and his mother Herdis
Maddin unveiled the mural.
PHOTO: LINDA SIGURDSON COLLETTE