Iceland review - 2002, Page 54

52
This and that in_reykjavík
A Crafty Affair
In every corner and crevice of Iceland,
you will find handicrafts for sale. Most
Icelandic women belong to a so-called
“sewing club”, which consists of
women only and lots of delicious cakes,
bread dishes and coffee. Some sewing
clubs keep up the knitting and handi-
craft tradition, whilst others use the
opportunity to chat away or party. So if
you’re looking to get a glimpse of the
handicraft culture in Iceland and the
Nordic countries, buy some woolly
sheep socks, or score a few points with
the ladies, the place to be is a handi-
craft fair. The largest handicraft fair
ever to be held in Iceland, the West
Nordic Handicraft Exhibition, will take
place from 20-24 November. Eleven
countries will be participating in the
exhibition, which will be taking place in
Laugardalshöll, in Reykjavík.
The Handicraft Exhibition is part of
the West Nordic Year 2002, which is
headed by the town of Akureyri and
held in co-operation with representa-
tives from Greenland and the Faroe
Islands. Handicrafts from Finland,
Sweden, Norway, Lithuania, Estonia,
Latvia, the Shetland Islands and Navut
in Canada will also be on exhibit. If the
Exhibition goes well, it may become a
regular event, held every two years. AÓJ
The Thule Music-Making Machine
The Reykjavík-based record company Thule Musik will be providing the Iceland
Airwaves festival engine with approximately one third of its fuel this October. Bands
which have been nudging themselves into the music scene, such as Trabant, Apparat
Organ Quartet and The Funerals, will be pulling some tunes from up their sleeves, as
well as lesser known acts such as Sofandi, Scream, The Worm is Green, Tommy White,
Frank Murder and many more.
Thule Musik opened an office in the United States recently and has sealed eight con-
tracts with distribution companies around America. The Funerals, headed by musicians
associated with bands such as Trabant, Singapore Sling, Kanada, Apparat Organ
Quartet and Quarashi, have been causing quite a stir with their record Pathetic Me,
which has even been coined the record of the year by some music magazines.
On the other side of the ocean, Trabant has been catching the attention of Brits and
Europeans, who seem to dig their drunken circus music. Apparat Organ Quartet will
most probably also be causing a big hullabaloo in October with the release of their new
record a week before the Airwaves festival.
After the festival, as long as the funding goes through, all three bands, Trabant, The
Funerals and Apparat, will be uniting forces to rock America – a trio not to be reckoned
with. AÓJ
Thórhallur Skúlason, the man in charge at Thule Records Ph
ot
os
P
ál
l S
te
fá
ns
so
n
Lopapeysa (wollen sweater) in its
natural surrounding, a classic
example of Icelandic handicraft.
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