Iceland review - 2012, Qupperneq 92

90 ICELAND REVIEW
sPECIAL PROMOTION
Falling water
As part of her magnificent retrospective, Rúrí’s seminal installation, “Archive – Endan-
gered Waters” (2003), dedicated to waterfalls has been on display at the National Gal-
lery since last March. In 2012—the European year dedicated to water—the artwork
reminds us of water’s scarcity, warning us not to mistreat this most indispensible
of elements. As a frame around Rúrí’s formidable “Archive,” artworks of waterfalls
from its collection represent the National Gallery’s yearly display. Not only endan-
gered, waterfalls are also nature’s most dangerous phenomena due to their attractive,
hypnotizing effect. Artists from Iceland, and the world over, have been fascinated by
these enticing wonders, which the country has in abundance, although in this century,
regrettably, their number has continued to diminish. listasafn.is

“Hypnotized by Iceland” 19 May – 4 Nov 2012
“Endangered” 19 May – 31 Dec 2012
Álafoss – since 1896
One of the major attractions in Mosfellsbær, located some 20 minutes from
Reykjavík by car, is the Álafoss factory outlet, where Iceland’s woolens indus-
try was launched. The store is housed in an old factory, which for decades was
the premises of the leading manufacturer and exporter of Icelandic woolens.
The name Álafoss is derived from the warm waterfall behind the factory,
which drove its mills. In homage to this heritage, the store exhibits a selec-
tion of old knitting machinery and photographs from the early days, which
form the basis of a museum. There you can find a huge selection of woolen
sweaters, ranging from traditional styles to high fashion, along with woolen
accessories, arts, crafts and souvenirs at reasonable prices.
century of watchmakers
The story of Michelsen Watchmakers goes back a whole century, to 1909, when
the first of the Michelsens established a small business in Iceland under the fam-
ily name. Since then, the firm has been owned and operated by the same family
and is now owned by the third generation of Michelsen master watchmakers.
Michelsen is their own line of quality watches, created by the third and fourth
generation of Michelsen watchmakers. The Michelsen shop on Laugavegur, the
main shopping street in Reykjavik, offers a wide assortment of watches and jew-
ellery, including many internationally known brands. First and foremost among
these are the world-famous Rolex watches. Among other interesting watches are
RJ-Romain Jerome, Tudor, Movado, Jorg Gray, Jacques Lemans and the famous
Danish brands, Georg Jensen and Rosendahland Arne Jacobsen.