Icelandic National Day

The 17th of June is Icelandic National Day, Þjóðhátíðardagurinn. Each year, the various villages in the East Fjords get together to celebrate. Vinny, who works at the Fish Factory Creative Center, had organized a concert on an old broken down boat in the next fjord over with a couple other local bands. All of us art residents piled into two cars, and headed over late Saturday afternoon for the celebration. In communal Icelandic fashion, the town organized a barbecue and performance art experience before the concert. The performance art was…strange, but I love that in this small community celebration art had a large presence.

Meanwhile, over on the little boat in the grass, the first band set up and got the show started. I was really glad to experience the local music scene. I love having such talented friends at home whose shows I love to attend. This felt like that. It was comforting. Comfort sounds set to the backdrop of an idyllic ocean port vista. The long sun against the cotton clouds, frolicking with the dogs on the beach, interspersed between sets. It was a wonderful day.

After the concert, we went to the grand opening of the new (and only) brewery in the East Fjords. This was possibly the largest gathering of people I’d seen since I’ve gotten here. Various musicians grabbed the guitar and played songs, open-mic style, in the corner as everyone tried the new drinks. Quite a magical night. Oh, there’s that magic word, again…

Back in the studio, I’ve been working on some collages revolving around the idea of magic and my impressions of this place. The collages are the post I’ve send out to to those of you who joined the mailing list. Each one tells particular story or attempts to capture a specific idea/feeling I’ve had while here using found materials and Icelandic Runes. I came here expecting to explore virtual reality and have found myself more and more drawn to this tangible work.