Iceland review - 2007, Side 43

ICELAND REVIEW 41
KRAUM OF THE CROP
What could go better with your felted-wool ball gown than a cod-skin
purse? After years of hiding out on the back shelves of souvenir shops and
artists’ studios, Icelandic design is making a move to the forefront with the
opening of Kraum, meaning simmer, the first retail forum devoted entirely to
the nation’s budding design scene.
Spearheaded by a committee of designers and professionals who saw a
need for such a space in the country, the store features selected works from
over 70 designers including textile, jewelry, household items, and a variety
of other utilitarian objects. Because the space was conceived as a store
and not a gallery, the offering focuses on production items instead of one-
of-a-kind pieces, with prices that reflect Kraum’s sentiment of design’s place
in everyday life, and not just on the mantelpiece.
kraum.is
FROM EWOKS TO PUMAS
Looking to tap into your inner Jedi? If so, check out Sesselja Gudmundsdóttir’s
limited edition, Star Wars-inspired hand-knit hats on display at Kjarvalsstadir
Reykjavík Art Museum’s latest exhibit. Dubbed Magma, the partially
interactive exhibition spotlights the latest additions to Iceland’s auspicious
contemporary design scene. Some of the highlights include the country’s
haute light fixtures from Páll Einarsson, María K. Magnúsdóttir’s shoe
designs made from tanned skins of Icelandic fish, and snowboards and
helmets tagged with limited edition graphics by Katrín Pétursdóttir Young.
The exhibition includes a good mix of rising stars, as well as more
established designers like New York-based Hjalti Karlsson, who recently
designed a limited edition Puma shoe called “waytogo.” Curated by
2006 Icelandic Visual Arts Award winner Gudrún Lilja Gunnlaugsdóttir,
the exhibition features more than 80 designers and design teams, plus five
projects created specifically for the exhibition. The museum’s small gift shop
is well-stocked. And yes, the Jedi hats are for sale.
On display until August 26.
listasafnreykjavikur.is