Iceland review - 2015, Qupperneq 5

ICELAND REVIEW 3I L I
CONTENTS
4 FROM THE EDITOR
6 WHAT A DAY, WHAT A DAY
Summer arrived in Reykjavík with the
seventh annual Multicultural Day.
8 SUMMER OUTSIDE THE CITY
Three different festivals in three different
regions.
10 LETTERS FROM ÁSTRÓS
Seashells inspired Ástrós Traustadóttir’s
typography, her final project from the Iceland
Academy of the Arts.
12 GRAND TIMES
The Grandi area of the Reykjavík wharf, home
to four museums, is changing from a primary
industrial area to a cultural hub.
16 10Q: FRESH WINDS
Páll Stefánsson asks Kári Viðarsson ten
questions about his award-winning art
and culture project The Freezer, in Rif,
Snæfellsnes.
18 FISHERMAN TO FILM STAR
Elliott Brandsma interviews actor Gunnar
Jónsson about his latest role as Fúsi in
Dagur’s Kári eponymous film, which earned
him the prize for Best Actor at Tribeca.
20 POLITICS IN PICTURES
Cartoonist Halldór Baldursson has amused
readers with his newspaper comics inspired
by Icelandic politics; now a selection of his
work can be viewed at Reykjavík City Library.
24 WE ARE ALL RANGERS
Former ranger Ragnhildur Zoëga writes about
respect for nature, encouraging everyone to
be environmentalists.
28 VESTUR-SKAFTAFELLSSÝSLA
Páll Stefánsson visits the county in Southeast
Iceland which has it all: beaches, lava fields,
lakes, rivers, volcanoes and mountains.

38 HELPING HAND
After 16 years of international humanitarian
work for the Red Cross, Hlín Baldvinsdóttir
has returned to Iceland. She tells Zoë Robert
about her experiences.
44 PORTFOLIO
Photographer Baldur Kristjánsson presents
some of his favorite portraits and reveals the
stories behind them.
50 THE PARAGON
Who was Auður djúpúðga, the only woman
to lead a settlement expedition to Iceland?
Author Vilborg Davíðsdóttir discusses the
heroine of her latest historical novels.
56 PIRACY IN PARLIAMENT
Iceland’s Pirate Party is now the country’s
largest political party. What’s behind their ris-
ing popularity?
62 THE EXPLORER’S ILLUSION
The idea of the explorer is dead, Halldór
Lárusson argues, yet the urge to travel to
far-away places and make new discoveries
remains.
66 SNAPPY INSPIRATIONS
Rock crab, a newcomer in Icelandic waters,
features in master chef Sveinn Kjartansson’s
recipe for crab cakes, and may soon become
a regular at local restaurants.
70 RUNNING WILD
Multicolor Icelandic horses celebrate the
summer beneath Eyjafjallajökull.
ICELAND REVIEW / ATLANTICA
72 SPINNING THE HUMAN THREAD
Eygló Svala Arnarsdóttir visits the new
permanent exhibition at Safnahúsið, the
Culture House in Reykjavík, showcasing the
best of Icelandic visual art history through
the centuries.
76 BIRDS OF A FEATHER
Photographer Helgi Skúlason is passionate
about birds, evident in his artistic and humor-
ous pictures of his feathered friends.
83 SUPPLEMENT – WET AND WILD
Iceland Review presents a list of geothermal
swimming pools around the country, which
each have their own charm.
95 SUPPLEMENT – VOYAGING THE
WILDERNESS
Iceland’s rugged interior is waiting to be dis-
covered and tour operators are presenting a
number of ways for you to do so.
106 SUPPLEMENT – CULTURAL PIT
STOPS
Compliment your Iceland journey with culture
and make a stop at some of the many and
diverse museums existing in every corner of
the country.
128 LAST PAGE
Bandaloop perform at the opening of the
2015 Reykjavík Arts Festival.