“I was wondering about how rational we are as humans. Where does this come from? Where does this need, this addiction come from?”
Andri Magnason is an Icelandic writer who co-directed the documentary film Dreamland, about a massive industrial project in Iceland that exposed some ugly truths about politics, industry and so-called green energy. He studies what seem like cycles of endless growth simply for growth’s sake.
‘Ísland’ is a self-reflexive piece about Ryan Walker’s interaction with the land, people and culture of Iceland. Shot during the midnight sun in June 2012.
We were there and we are nostalgic.
Valgeir Sigurðsson - Architecture of Loss
The song from the fittingly titled Architecture of Loss (download it here)is a dark and writhing battle between two opposing structures: atmospheric cello drones make up a stormy, domed sky, against which it seems a frustrated, forlorn being throws firecrackers in the hope of making his dent on the world. One catches a cirrus streak, and the whole thing goes off.
Valgeir Sigurðsson (PopTech Iceland) is a composer, producer, engineer, musician and founder of Greenhouse Studios and the Bedroom Community record label, based in Reykjavík, Iceland. Sigurðsson has a new album due out on September 24, 2012.
(Via Pitchfork)
Watch now: From the Icelandic food store chain, Bonus, to the midnight sun, everyday Iceland inspires writer Andri Magnason. His poetry and children’s books reflect his deep connection to his homeland as does the way he’s schooled himself—and the public—on preserving Iceland’s beauty and natural resources.
Watch now: Icelandic five-piece band amiina got their start as the string section for the legendary Sigur Ros and took the PopTech stage with a glockenspiel, a musical saw, a couple of violins, drums, and a laptop. The result? Seventeen minutes of complex, sweetly innocent music that we think will brighten your day.
Oh! amiina will be at PopTech Camden 2012! Secure your ticket here.
Oooh! Here’s a free collection of MP3s from Alexi Murdoch, Valgeir Sigurðsson and Nico Muhly commemorating their collaboration at the PopTech conference in Reykjavik.
Watch now: Silja Ómarsdóttir on rewriting Iceland’s constitution.
Silja Ómarsdóttir was one of 25 people tapped to rewrite Iceland’s constitution after the country’s financial meltdown in 2008. She details how the citizens of Iceland reacted to the bank collapse and the eventual response from the government, which included updating the country’s constitution. Ómarsdóttir explains the constitution creation process and what it meant to overhaul the constitution, with considerable public input, in four months.
He was 70% the stream
that trickled past his farm
he was the 30%
the sheep that grazed on his mountain
he was the fish swimming in his lake
he was the cow eating
in his field
he was the stream, he was the grass,
the mountain and the lake
I am not 70% water
perhaps 15% mineral water
the rest is beer and coca cola
I am italian pasta, swiss cheese
danish pork and chinese rice
american ketchup
runs through my veins
you are what you eat
I am a miniature of the world
no
I am a miniature of Bonus
