Iceland

I&I
Issues and Images
Iceland
2 • 2010

Photo: Páll Stefánsson
Issues and Images
Vol. 6 2-2010
Editor: Benedikt Jóhannesson benedikt@heimur.is
Staff writer: Eygló Svala Arnarsdóttir eyglo@heimur.is
Contributing writers: Bjarni Brynjólfsson bjarni@heimur.is, Páll Stefánsson ps@heimur.is and Sari Peltonen
Design: Erlingur Páll Ingvarsson
Photographers: Geir Ólafsson and Páll Stefánsson
TCI Editorial Consultant: Lilja Vidarsdóttir lilja@icetrade.is
On the cover: Photo by Páll Stefánsson. Austurvöllur, Reykjavík
Back cover: Photo by Páll Stefánsson
Printing: Oddi
Published for the Trade Council of Iceland by Heimur Publishing Ltd. www.icelandreview.com
Copyright Heimur Publishing. No articles in the magazine may be reproduced
elsewhere in whole or in part without the prior permission of the publisher.
icelandreview@icelandreview.com
2 I&I

Contents
I&I
4 On and off
East Iceland Music Festival Awarded
Sixty Icelandic Books Published in Germany
Iceland Symphony Orchestra Celebrates 60th Anniversary
Keflavík International Airport Named Best Airport in Europe
6 Humorous and Diplomatic
Foreign Minister Össur Skarphédinsson
8 A Veteran of Gigs
Iceland Airwaves’ new manager Grímur Atlason is no
newcomer to staging gigs in Iceland.
9 Bookworm on ice
Thórbergur Thórdarson´s museum Thórbergssetur is a must
stop on Ring Road One.
10 Floating on a Blue Cloud
While all the outdoor swimming pools and natural hot springs in
Iceland are worth a visit, the Blue Lagoon is something special.
12 I Am Like a Bird
See Iceland in a helicopter, the best way to enjoy the colors, the
eruptions and mountains in Iceland’s nature.
13 Saga Swimmer Resurrected
Named Male Swimmer of the Year in 2009, Jakob Jóhann Sveinsson
is among the foremost Icelandic swimmers in breaststroke.
14 Best Off
Vatnajökull National Park covers almost fourteen percent
of the country.
15 Moving Mountains
Is your weekly routine missing a high? Would you make a vow to
climb one mountain per week for a year? Two hundred people
did just that.
16 GROW TALL
Jónsi of Sigur Rós on the Go
17 Keeping Track of Fish
Star-Oddi Follows Fish Underwater
Trade Council of Iceland
Borgartún 35, IS-105 Reykjavík. Tel +354 511 4000 Fax +354 511 4040
icetrade@icetrade.is www.icetrade.is
INVEST IN ICELAND AGENCY
Borgartún 35, IS-105 Reykjavík. Tel +354 561 5200 Fax +354 511 4040
info@invest.is www.invest.is
Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Raudarárstígur 25, IS-150 Reykjavík. Tel +354 545 9900 Fax +354 562 4878
vur@utn.stjr.is www.mfa.is
18 Unforgettable Power
Eyjafjallajökull (AY-yah-FYAH’-tlah-YER-kuhl)
20 A Diary of Business and Politics
The top stories in business and politics in Iceland from
March 2010 to June 2010
21 Inspired by Iceland
Icelanders Invite the World to Visit Their Country.
22 Daring, Caring and Being Responsible
Icepharma, a Company with Values
23 Icelandic Design
Design collective Vík Prjónsdóttir, based in Vík in South Iceland, is
inspired by the surrounding dramatic landscape and by local folk
tales, resulting in energetic, fun and colorful designs.
I&I
3

I&I
On and Off
Music:
East Iceland Music
Festival Awarded
The brothers Magni and Áskell Heidar Ásgeirsson received the
Eyrarrós—a special recognition award for outstanding contribution
to a cultural project in a rural area—on February 15 for the
music festival Braedslan in Borgarfjördur Eystri, East Iceland. The
music festival has raised significant attention in recent years and
has always been well attended.
“It is always good to get a pat on the back and recognition for
one’s work. It is encouraging for us,” Magni Ásgeirsson said when
he accepted the Eyrarrós from Dorrit Moussaieff, the president’s
wife, who is the award’s patron. The prize is ISK 1.5 million (USD
12,000, EUR 8,500) and a trophy designed by sculptor Steinunn
Thórarinsdóttir. c
Photo: Páll Stefánsson
Culture:
Sixty Icelandic Books
Published in Germany
Agreements have been made for the publication of 60 Icelandic
books in Germany by fall 2011 through the ‘Fabulous Iceland’
project, which is promoting Icelandic literature in connection with
Iceland being the honorary guest at the 2011 Frankfurt Book Fair.
Many of Germany’s leading publishers, such as Suhrkamp Verlag
and Fischer Verlag, will participate in this project and a total of 35
German publishers are known to be planning the publication of
Icelandic literary works in the next year and a half.
About half of the books to be published in Germany are fiction:
novels or collections of short stories. In addition, 14 scholarly
works are to be published, including books on Icelandic history and
literary history, five volumes of poetry, three children’s books and
eight volumes of the Icelandic Sagas. c
Photo: Páll Stefánsson
4 I&I

On and Off
I&I
Success:
Keflavík International
Airport Named Best
Airport in Europe
In February, Keflavík International Airport was named the best airport
in Europe in 2009, according to the results of a recent survey conducted
by Airports Council International (ACI). Keflavík was followed
by Zürich in Switzerland, Porto in Portugal, Valetta in Malta and
Southampton in the UK. The best airport in the world for the fifth year
in a row was Incheon, South Korea.
The ACI survey showed that in all of these airports the executives
have demonstrated that they perfectly understand that what
passengers like today is also what they expect tomorrow. Staying at
the top, constant development and novelties are required, the survey
concluded.
Björn Óli Hauksson, CEO of Keflavík International Airport, said
the achievement lies in listening to customers and meeting their
needs. The level of service is a result of a joint initiative by all staff
members, who guarantee quick and reliable service. He therefore
presented each of his staff members with a document of recognition
and a gold medal. c
Photo: Geir Ólafsson
Arts:
Iceland Symphony
Orchestra Celebrates
60th Anniversary
Photo: Geir Ólafsson
The Iceland Symphony Orchestra celebrated its 60th anniversary this
year—the first concert was held in March 1950. On March 18, the
event was remembered with a concert performed by not just a big,
but a huge band.
An almost 100-person band played Mahler’s Symphony No. 2,
and a 30-person choir and two solo performers also participated.
Moreover, a new composition by Haflidi Hallgrímsson was performed
for the first time at the occasion.
“The orchestra’s artistic position is very good and it has been
improving in the past years, as we can see by reviews of its concerts
and the prestige we have gained abroad through nominations for
awards and the awards we have received. We also see it through the
increase in spectators between years. For example, there was a 40
percent increase in the sale of subscriptions last autumn compared
to the years prior,” said the symphony orchestra’s program director
Árni Heimir Ingólfsson. c
I&I
5

Humorous and
Diplomatic
Foreign Minister Össur Skarphédinsson
has a strong belief in the EU and has never strayed
from that belief,” says Jón Baldvin Hannibalsson, former
leader of the Social Democratic Party and former
“Össur
Foreign Minister.
Skarphédinsson’s path to politics was rather strange. He became
a doctor in fish farming and when pushing his way up the political
ladder often joked about being “a doctor in the sex life of salmonids.”
A colleague of his at the time says he was torn between the
scientific and the political. “But his love for being in the public
eye won over.”
Hannibalsson says Skarphédinsson’s choice of study was the
most unlikely preparation for politics but that his education
equipped him with better English than most Icelandic lawmakers,
a strong tool for becoming an efficient Foreign Minister.
Skarphédinsson became the editor of the socialist party paper
Thjódviljinn in 1984 but soon joined a group of discontented
people within the Althýdubandalag (The People’s Alliance) called
Birting (Dawn). Those people dreamt of a broad merger of the small
parties on the left. Skarphédinsson left the PA, joined the Social
Democrats and was elected MP.
In 1993 this relatively new MP was appointed Minister of the
Environment. “Other people were higher in the pecking order,” says
Hannibalsson, “but the fact that he had a PhD in biology gave him
an advantage.”
Although good natured and humorous, Skarphédinsson has
always been a wild animal in politics according to his own
words.
“He is unpredictable but he has a warm and sensitive side to him.
Össur is very intelligent and his memory is simply astounding,”
says Thórunn Sveinbjarnardóttir, a fellow MP of the SDM.
“I’ve no enemies in Parliament, but many friends,” said
Skarphédinsson in an interview in 1996. That remark still has truth
to it in 2010. He is clever at nurturing relations with fellow MPs
and has friends in all political parties.
“Össur is diplomatic and humorous,” says Birgitta Jónsdóttir, a
new opposition MP. “He is very direct and often starts by flattering
his opponents, then shoots his arrows.”
Skarphédinsson is the oldest of five siblings. He has two brothers
and two sisters.
At thirteen, one of Skarphédinsson’s eyes was badly bruised in
an accident. As a result he did not learn to drive until forty and
is said to be a ghastly driver. Impaired vision however does not
prevent him from being an omnivorous reader.
He and his wife adopted two young daughters from Columbia
in 1996 and 1999.
His pastimes consist of reading, walking and battling his extra
pounds at a local gym. c Bjarni Brynjólfsson.
Photo By Páll Stefánsson
CURRICULUM VITAE
1953: Born 19.06.1953 in Reykjavík.
1973: Graduated from Menntaskólinn in Reykjavík
high school.
1979: BS degree in biology from the University
of Iceland.
1983: Doctorate in biology, University of East
Anglia in Norwich;
Research for British Marine Federation in
Lowestoft, Suffolk.
1984 – 1987: Editor of socialist party newspaper
Thjódviljinn (Nation’s Will).
1991 – 1999: Member of Althingi Parliament
for the Social Democratic Party.
1993 – 1995: Minister for the Environment in
coalition of the SDP and Independence Party
led by Davíd Oddsson.
1996: Publishes a book, Urridadans (Dance of
the Brown Trout) about the brown trout stock
of Lake Thingvallavatn.
1997: Editor of party newspaper of the SDP,
Althýdubladid.
1997 – 1998: Editor of evening paper DV.
1999 – 2010: Member of Althingi Parliament
for the Reykjavík Constituencies for the Social
Democratic Alliance, a party created from the
old parties of Social Democratic Party, People’s
Alliance and the Women’s Party.
2000 – 2005: First Chairman of the Social
Democratic Alliance.
2007 – 2009: Minister of Industry and
Tourism.
2009: Minister for Foreign Affairs.
6 I&I

Portrait
I&I
7

Airwaves
A Veteran of Gigs
Iceland Airwaves’ new manager Grímur Atlason is no
newcomer to staging gigs in Iceland.
Grímur Atlason has served as mayor of the small fishing town
of Bolungarvík and has for the past two years been mayor of
Dalabyggd municipality, a job he is leaving soon now that he
has become the head of Iceland’s most prominent music festival, Iceland
Airwaves.
Grímur Atlason’s first real experience with rock and roll was when
he provided the booze for The Swans, the loudest band in the world at
that time, on their tour to Iceland in 1987. Atlason, then a student at
Menntaskólinn vid Hamrahlíd high school, became mesmerized.
He carried on the strong and long tradition of alternative rock at
his high school for which the students had voracious appetites. (Both
Björk and Einar Örn from the Sugarcubes were students there and many
other Icelandic rock wizards). Atlason staged concerts with numerous
Icelandic and international acts at Hamrahlíd, including the infamous
Happy Mondays from Manchester.
After graduation from Hamrahlíd he studied development therapy
and worked at this profession for some years before returning to old
habits and promoting rock concerts in Reykjavík. Among his most
successful concerts was a huge event with Eric Clapton in 2008 which
is still the biggest indoor event ever held in Iceland; the massive free
outdoor Nature Concert with Björk, Sigurrós, Ghostigital and others,
also in 2008; and Innipúkinn music festival held annually in Reykjavík
over the first weekend of August.
Atlason says that Iceland Airwaves has been growing ever since it
started twelve years ago in a hangar at Reykjavík airport. The festival
has got raving reviews through the years. For example David Fricke
of Rolling Stone magazine called it “the hippest long weekend on the
annual music festival calendar.”
A cooperation between Reykjavík City and Icelandair, the festival
has been attracting larger audiences and wider media attention every
year. But the economic meltdown caused some problems for the festival,
especially in relation to attracting international acts.
“The past two years have been difficult moneywise, because the
Icelandic króna lost its value, but last year it was sold out nevertheless,”
he says.
Atlason says he was not hired to change the festival. “I’m not saying
I won’t change anything, because new people bring new ideas. But the
main thing is to organize a great music festival which leaves something
behind and makes people happy. Iceland Airwaves is primarily a festival
to promote the Icelandic music scene. It has also been successful
in attracting international bands and musicians that have been on the
verge of making it and I hope we can continue in that spirit,” he says.
First line-up of Airwaves this year, which will be held over the
weekend of 13 – 17 October, indicates that the festival will maintain
that tradition with all the major Icelandic bands showing up. Bang
Gang, Dikta, Hjaltalín, Ham, Hjálmar, Mugison, Retro Stefson and other
prime players have all announced they will be there along with rising
foreign acts such as JJ from Sweden, The Amplifetes from USA and Joy
Formidable from the UK to name but a few of Iceland Airwaves’ line
up this year.
The most exciting appearances though are those of promising new
Icelandic bands c Bjarni Brynjólfsson.
Photo By Páll Stefánsson
8 I&I

Museum
Bookworm on ice
Thórbergur Thórdarson´s museum Thórbergssetur is a must stop on Ring Road One.
Photo By Páll Stefánsson
On Ring Road One, the road circling
Iceland, there are a few ‘must stops’.
One is Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, one
of the most unique and beautiful places on the
Ring Road, 375 kilometers east of Reykjavík.
Nature at its best. After half a day witnessing
the seals, the arctic terns and the ever changing
icebergs, it’s good to meet up with some
culture. The next farm east of Jökulsárlón is
Hali, birthplace of one of Iceland’s best known
writers, Thórbergur Thórdarson (1888–1974).
Thórbergssetur museum, designed by
Sveinn Ívarsson and opened four years ago,
puts Thórdarson’s life and work on display.
The permanent exhibition designed by Jón
Tórisson gives a good insight into Thórdarson
life, as well as the life of the nation. Interesting
and well designed.
Thórbergssetur is open daily from nine to
nine, and in the café/restaurant is a photo
exhibition from this area, Sudursveit. The pictures
date from 1930 to 1960 and give a good
glimpse of life and play during that period in
this very remote and isolated county.
Thórdarson himself moved to Reykjavík at
the age of eighteen, and lived there for the rest
of his life, writing. Very popular in Iceland, he
has not been widely translated into English.
His best known book: In Search of My Beloved,
translated by Kenneth G. Chapman.
Bon Voyage. c Páll Stefánsson.
I&I
9

10 I&I

Blue Lagoon
Floating on a Blue Cloud
While all the outdoor swimming pools and natural hot springs in Iceland are
worth a visit, the Blue Lagoon is something special.
Photo: Páll Stefánsson
Floating in warm water, cocooned in a blanket, sunshine in my
face, skilled hands massaging my body… this must be what
heaven feels like.
I was enjoying a massage in the Blue Lagoon on a sunny day in May,
compliments of my friends who were throwing me a hen party. Up until
then I had dreamt about such a massage but never treated myself to it.
I hadn’t even been to this tourist hotspot for years.
There is a reason why the Blue Lagoon is so popular among travelers.
Apart from its convenient location right next to Keflavík International
Airport—it’s the perfect place to drain away that travel fatigue, kick that
jet lag or relax before a flight back home—a dip in the lagoon’s silicarich
dreamy blue water is like no other.
Algae gives the lagoon its distinct blue color, and the combination of
natural minerals, silica and algae have a proven healing effect on skin
disorders; people suffering from psoriasis bathe in the lagoon regularly
for treatment. But even if you don’t have any skin problems, the silica
does you good. Just try rubbing the thick white mud accumulated in the
lagoon on your skin and feel how silky-smooth it becomes.
When you approach the state-of-the-art building through an outlandish
lava field, it’s hard to imagine that the Blue Lagoon came to be by
‘accident’ through excess water from the Sudurnes Regional Heating
Corporation’s operations in the Svartsengi geothermal area in 1976. It
wasn’t until people started bathing in the lagoon five years later and
noticed its healing effect on psoriasis that its potential was realized and
the first public bathing facilities opened in 1987.
The source of the water in the lagoon is 2,000 meters deep in the
ground. A blend of seawater and fresh water, it travels through porous
lava, undergoing mineral exchange in the process. When it approaches
the surface, a concentration takes place due to vaporization, evaporation
and sedimentation. The six million liters of water in the lagoon are
renewed automatically every 40 hours. The water has a self-cleaning
effect, making chemicals like chlorine unnecessary.
Today, the Blue Lagoon boasts a special clinic and treatment center
for psoriasis patients, a spa with in-water spa treatments and massage,
a range of skin care products and shops in Iceland and Denmark. More
than 400,000 people take a dip in the lagoon every year (outnumbering
Iceland’s population of 320,000 people by far), which makes it one of
the most visited sites in Iceland. Winning Condé Nast Traveller’s 2009
Reader’s Spa Award, visitors seem to feel bathing in the Blue Lagoon
truly is an experience to behold, living up to all the hype. Indeed, while
all the outdoor swimming pools and natural hot springs in Iceland are
worth a visit, the Blue Lagoon is something special.
“You can now relax for a few minutes,” the masseuse whispers when
my time is up and sends my mattress drifting towards a corner of the
lagoon’s spa section. I imagine myself floating on a cloud and doze
off in pure bliss. I wouldn’t mind napping there all day but my friends
await me with a glass of beer at the bar so I reluctantly part with my
blue cloud.
The 37-39°C warm water envelops me as I lazily swim towards the
other end of the lagoon to reunite with my friends at the bar. I’m all
smiles as they hand me a glass. Mmmm, that beer sure is refreshing. My
friends and I chitchat for a while, observe all the smiley happy people
around us and work a bit on our tans before we head to the dressing
room and prepare for a girls’ night out. Best hen party ever. c
Eygló Svala Arnarsdóttir.
I&I 11

Travel
I Am Like a Bird
See Iceland in a helicopter, the best way to enjoy the colors, the eruptions
and mountains in Iceland’s nature.
When the small eruption started at
Fimmvörduháls, March 20, people
flocked from the capital to witness
the power of Mother Nature. Some walked the
15 kilometers and six hours from Skógar, others
rented snowmobiles or small airplanes, but
the best way to see the eruption was from a
helicopter. From Skógar and Hotel Rangá, the
helicopter companies flew tourists from dawn
to dusk.
Helicopters in the tourist industry are not
new, but the short trip with nature at its best
was a perfect business model, so many people
took a helicopter trip for the first time and
came back with a big smile.
Bergmenn Mountain Guides in Skídadalur in
Eyjafjördur, North Iceland, has offered heliskiing
in April and May for many years. It is the
perfect way to reach the best skiing areas in
Iceland, areas with no ski lifts but plenty of
steep mountains and lots of snow. In fact the
only way to get there is by helicopter.
The movie industry and international advertising
companies have used Iceland and its
landscape as a backdrop for many years. The
best tool to get the best shots is a helicopter.
Like for the Porsche Cayenne advertising in
Hvalfjördur, or for Die Another Day, the James
Bond movie, partly shot at Jökulsárlón, South
East Iceland.
There are about five companies in Iceland
with helicopters, þyrla in Icelandic, for tourists.
Book one and you won’t regret it. c
Páll Stefánsson
Photo: Páll Stefánsson
12 I&I

Sports
Saga Swimmer Resurrected
Named Male Swimmer of the Year in 2009, Jakob Jóhann Sveinsson is among
the foremost Icelandic swimmers in breaststroke.
One might think that since Iceland is an
island with the North Atlantic Ocean
crashing in from all sides, since it has
lakes and rivers aplenty and since an important
part of its culture is bathing in hot springs
and pools, that competitive swimming would
be somewhat of a national sport in Iceland.
However, that is not the case. In spite of
sagas telling tales of heroic swimmers—Grettir
“the strong” swam from Drangey island on
Skagafjördur to the mainland to fetch fire—few
Icelanders even knew how to swim until the
20th century; if fishermen fell into the ocean
they were lost forever. However, in modern
Iceland swimming is taught throughout
elementary and high school and it has also
become quite a popular sport.
Three-time Olympic swimmer Jakob Jóhann
Sveinsson (competing at the 2000, 2004 and
2008 Olympics) is among the foremost Icelandic
swimmers in breaststroke. In November 2009,
he won the 50, 100 and 200-meter breaststroke
in the Icelandic Championship in short
course (a 25-meter pool), breaking the Icelandic
record in all instances. At the championship,
Sveinsson also became the first Icelander to
swim the 100-meter breaststroke in less than
one minute—58.91 seconds—which, at the time,
was the second-best achievement in Europe
that year and the second-best achievement in
the Nordic countries of all time. However, those
records were short-lived as they were broken
at the European Championship the following
month. After his outstanding performance at
the Icelandic Championship, Sveinsson was
named Male Swimmer of the Year at the
annual celebration of the Icelandic Swimming
Association in November 2009.
Sveinsson is modest when asked to what
he owes his successful career in swimming. “I
just like practicing and my parents are very
supportive,” he says. He is also not easily starstruck.
“I don’t have any specific swimmer as
a role model. I follow the achievements of a
range of swimmers, define what makes them
good and then try to figure out what I can
learn from each of them.”
Born in 1982, Sveinsson started swimming
for Reykjavík club Aegir in 1991. His first big
achievement was when he earned the silver
medal in the 200-meter breaststroke at the
European Championship for teenagers in 2000.
In the following years he went on to qualify
for semi-finals and finals in the 100 and 200-
meter breaststroke at a range of adult European
and World Championships. Sveinsson’s best
Olympic achievement to date was at the 2004
Olympics in Athens when he placed 21st in the
100-meter breaststroke.
Closer to home at the Icelandic Championship
in March 2010, Sveinsson won the 50-meter
breaststroke with a time of 28.72 seconds and
was more than half a second quicker than the
second-best swimmer there. Yet Sveinsson
declared that he was disappointed with his
time as he had wanted to swim 0.4 seconds
faster. “My goal is to constantly improve as
an athlete, and to improve as a person, both in
the pool and outside of it,” he says. Right now,
Sveinsson is busy practicing for his next challenge.
“My biggest tournament this summer
is the European Championship in Budapest in
August where my goal is to swim faster than I
have done at a European Championship so far.”
With such ambition, perhaps Iceland has been
granted a new heroic swimmer a-la Grettir “the
strong”? c Eygló Svala Arnarsdóttir.
I&I 13

Art
Lakagígar.
Best Off
Vatnajökull National Park covers almost fourteen percent of the country.
Vatnajökull National Park is not only
Europe’s biggest national park, at 13,600
km 2 it’s the same size as all 29 islands of The
Bahamas or the entire Republic of Montenegro.
Inside the park you have the best of Iceland.
Not only is there Vatnajökull glacier, the biggest
glacier outside the polar regions, you
also have Hvannadalshnjúkur at 2,110 meters,
Iceland’s highest peak, and the Kverkfjöll
mountains, where fire and ice have the biggest
fight in the republic. There’s also Laki, the
25 kilometer long row of craters which last
erupted in 1783. That eruption lasted four
years and produced the biggest lava flow in
the history of mankind. You have Dettifoss,
the most powerful waterfall on the continent,
and Askja volcano area, by far my favorite
destination in Iceland.
In the park you have two camping sites:
Ásbyrgi in the north east and Skaftafell in
the south east. There are good hiking trails
from both of these places, and in Skaftafell
it’s a short walk to Hvannadalshnjúkur, where
you can see almost the whole world beneath.
Another mountain inside the park worth trying
is the mountain queen, Herdubreid, mid-way
between the Vatnajökull glacier and Ásbyrgi.
Difficult but rewarding, with an outstanding
view over the central highlands. c
Páll Stefánsson
Photos: Páll Stefánsson
14 I&I

National Park
Top left: Hafragilsfoss, Jökulsá á Fjöllum.
Askja and Víti.
Bottom left: Skaftafellsjökull in Vatnajökull.
I&I 15

Music
GROW TALL
Jónsi of Sigur Rós on the Go
Sigur Rós is one of the best known Icelandic bands. The band is laying
low and Jónsi the group’s vocalist and guitarist has been working on
another kind of treat: his first solo album ‘go’ came out on April 5th
in Europe/April 6th in the US through XL, after which he embarked upon
an extensive tour on both sides of the Atlantic.
But how did he get here? He agreed to a short interview.
“I grew up in the countryside,” Jónsi says. “I knew I was gay but I didn’t
know anyone else that would be like me, so I had to paint, draw and create
a lot to keep myself happy. The only subject I used to have straight A’s in
was drawing.”
Music only took over when Jónsi left school to work in a recording
studio (“I find it important for a musician to master that side of it, too”).
He fronted grunge act Stoned, then Bee Spiders, under a pair of black sunglasses
and the alias Jonny B.
For the past 16 years, Jónsi has been the vocalist and guitarist of Sigur
Rós, named after his little sister who was born at the same time the band
formed. While debut album Von sold a grand total of 313 copies when
released in 1997, the band rocketed to international fame with their 2000
album Ágaetis Byrjun, Icelandic for “an alright start”, a friend’s comment
after hearing the first track of the album. A minor understatement, the
album became one of the defining records of the 20th century, appearing
in numerous ‘best of’ lists all over the world and selling millions of copies.
The lyricless, titleless 2002 album () and 2005’s Takk… continued the success
story, with single Hoppipolla cropping up everywhere from a David
Attenborough narrated BBC documentary to major advertisements (Oxfam,
FIFA World Cup) and Hollywood trailers (Slumdog Millionaire, Children of
Men), bringing the alternative post-rock band firmly into the mainstream
consciousness. The most recent Med sud í eyrum vid spilum endalaust (With
a buzz in our ears we play endlessly) was released in 2008. Having sold
their Sundlaugin studio (“we’re back at Orri’s garage”), fans can rejoice, a
new Sigur Rós album is in the plans for 2011.
Going Solo
“It’s cool!” says Jónsi on going solo, “It’s different. Sigur Rós works like a
little hippie community, there is no boss, we do everything together. Alone,
16 I&I
there are a lot of decisions to make and it can be a bit stressful.”
“Originally it seemed that the record could become small, acoustic and
intimate. By the time we got miracle child Nico Muhly’s demos of his
arrangements, I realized that it was going to fly out of our hands,” explains
Finnish percussionist Samuli Kosminen.
“Jónsi had plenty of fine ideas in relation to playing, the sound, almost
anything… how the microphones were positioned, how strong the tea
should be,” Kosminen says. “He would give lots of freedom yet know
exactly what he likes. He is very eager to try new things and open to every
unconventional or slightly crazy possibility.” Kosminen lists his instruments,
“drums and other rhythmic toys, a little harp, glockenspiel, kalimba,
American Tourister 81 cm Samsonite bag.”
“But how is Jónsi as a musician?” I ask Kosminen.
“Hmm… lower mid-range,” he answers, tongue-in-cheek. “Without a
doubt multitalented, enthusiastic and sensitive.”
Muhly echoes the sentiment, “Jónsi is a very sensitive musician; he reacts
quite quickly to things.”
The outcome is a playful, sincere and fairytale-beautiful album, bearing
motifs familiar to Sigur Rós fans—the trademark falsetto, vast-as-the-sky
soundscapes and folk influences—yet standing separate from the band’s
oeuvre. As Sigur Rós bassist Georg Hólm described the single Boy Lilikoi in
the local daily paper, “very Jónsi-like”.
“Maybe the goal with anything you do is to find the flow, it makes you
feel alive, and it is important to me to feel alive. And the more it flows the
purer it gets, you know, you get into this mode where the things just happen
and you don’t even think about it, and afterwards you look at what you’ve
done and you feel like ‘wow that’s really amazing’.”
But with international success in a band TIME listed as one of the 10 best
in the world today and dozens of times more fans than there are inhabitants
in your home country, there is surely not much left to accomplish.
“I don’t think about it like that, it is not about accomplishing something,”
Jónsi says, “I just love to do it. I love to play instruments. Like four guys
playing together and creating music and songs, it is so beautiful, like magic.
It is one of my favorite things to do.” c Sari Peltonen
New album ‘go’ was out on April 5. www. jonsi.com
Photo Páll Stefánsson

Technology
Keeping Track of Fish
Star-Oddi Follows Fish Underwater
Photo Geir Ólafsson
One of the many technology companies
in Iceland is Star-Oddi Ltd which was
founded in Iceland in 1985. From
day one it has been a leading developer and
manufacturer of technology used in aquatic
and fisheries research. Over the years the company
has found uses for its products in other
industries such as the pharmaceutical, food
and beverage industries.
Milestones in the company’s history:
In 1993 the Data Storage Tag (DST)—a miniature
data logger—was developed. It was
originally designed in cooperation with marine
research institutes as a small fish data logger
for tagging species such as cod and halibut,
collecting information on the behavior of
valuable, commercial species. The loggers are
used for other underwater research as well
as in the pharmaceutical, food and beverage
industries. The DST is exceptionally well
suited to any research involving living subjects
because of its biocompatible ceramic material.
It’s not recognized by the animal’s body as
foreign material and this lowers mortality rates
due to rejection.
In 2001 the Underwater Tagging Equipment
was launched; a unique product on the market
today because it has the ability to tag fish
underwater. The fish is tagged in its natural
environment and doesn’t have to survive the
trip to the surface, reducing mortality rate
from pressure and temperature change.
Star-Oddi has a wide range of loggers that
measure temperature, depth, pressure, salinity,
conductivity, tilt and magnetic field strength.
These products have been used for an extensive
range of studies including fish migration,
fishing gear, oceanography, borehole monitoring,
toxicology studies, drug development and
pasteurization measurements.
Company CEO and founder Sigmar
Gudbjörnsson says that the company has
always stressed how important it is to be profitable.
“In 2009 we had our fifth year of profits
in a row. We continuously work on improving
our current products to better meet the needs
of our customers. We focus our R&D efforts on
developing new products that offer solutions
not previously available to our customers.
We have received awards for our innovations
including: the Icelandic Fisheries Award
in 2005 for Outstanding Icelandic Supplier
and Catching and Research Equipment; and
the Icelandic Centre for Research and Trade
Council of Iceland’s 2006 Innovation Award.
Our employees have also won individual
awards for their work for Star-Oddi.”
But where does the name come from? “Star-
Oddi is the name of an ancient Icelandic Viking
who was known for analyzing the movements
of the sun, moon and stars,” Sigmar says. “We
thought that was appropriate.” c
I&I 17

18 I&I

Eruption
Reykjavík
Eyjafjallajökull
Unforgettable Power
Eyjafjallajökull (AY-yah-FYAH’-tlah-YER-kuhl)
On March 20th, a small eruption started in Fimmvörduháls, close to
Eyjafjallajökull (AY-yah-FYAH’-tlah-YER-kuhl) glacier, and lasted for
three weeks. Thousands of tourists went up to see the small volcano,
hiking, snowmobiling, on super jeeps and helicopters, admiring the fascinating
show Mother Earth put on.
After two days of no activity, early in the morning of April 14th, an eruption
started on top of Eyjafjallajökull glacier, and it was no small tourist eruption
this time: it was a big one, which did not only affect Iceland, but for five days
stopped almost all air traffic across most of Europe.
While I was taking pictures and witnessing the power of nature, less than
ten kilometers away from Eyjafjallajökull, an Icelandic friend called me from
Barcelona, stuck exactly 3,000 kilometers away because of the ash clouds from
the volcano.
One month later, the eruption in Eyjafjallajökull was still going at full force,
but we learned to live with it, and it was a one time experience to come to
Iceland and see this big eruption. Not dangerous, but unforgettable to see the
volcano pumping up its endless mass of volcanic ash, 700 tons every second.
The Eyjafjallajökull eruption ended May 22. For good, no one knows. The
volcano is only an hour’s drive from Reykjavík, the capital, you should see for
yourself. c Páll Stefánsson
From Ásbyrgi
I&I 19

A Diary
of Business and Politics
March 24: Legislation banning striptease in
Iceland and barring clubs from profiting from
the nudity of employees will take effect on
July 1, 2010. The legislation was passed with
31 votes. Two MPs of the Independence Party
abstained but no one voted against it.
March 30: American company Sabre Holdings
bought the Icelandic software start-up company
Calidris, which develops software used for
airline computer systems. Thórdur Magnússon,
chairman of the board of Calidris, said the
acquisition is pleasing because it opens a door
to a larger market for Calidris’ technology and
methods.
April 7: The resolution and winding-up
committees of Glitnir Bank filed lawsuits
against the bank’s majority owners Jón Ásgeir
Jóhannesson and Pálmi Haraldsson, former
CEO Lárus Welding and three other key executives.
April 12: The Special Investigative Commission
of the Parliament published its report analyzing
the causes of the collapse of the Icelandic
banking system on this day. The commission
found that some ministers and directors of
financial institutions, among them former
Prime Minister Geir H. Haarde, had been negligent
and criticized the part of various other
individuals and institutions; President Ólafur
Ragnar Grímsson was found to have failed
morally. At press date, four parliamentarians
have resigned or taken a leave of absence due
to them being mentioned in the report.
April 16: The executive board of the
International Monetary Fund has approved
the second review of its economic stabilization
program for Iceland. Icelandic Finance Minister
Steingrímur J. Sigfússon said this would radically
change Iceland’s situation.
April 22: The Icelandic state took over the
Keflavík Savings Bank (Sparisjódur Keflavíkur)
on this day. Negotiations with claimants had
been going on for some time but then it
became clear that an agreement could not be
reached and the bank went into insolvency.
April 24: The German parliament decided with
a vast majority to permit the European Union
to begin accession talks with Iceland. Now
there is nothing in the way of the Committee
of Ministers from determining whether talks
should begin. At press date, talks have yet to
resume.
May 3: A total of 292 companies in Iceland
went bankrupt in the first quarter of 2010,
according to new information from Statistics
Iceland. This is an almost 12 percent increase
compared to the first quarter of 2009, when
261 companies went bust.
May 5: The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC)
decided to lower the Central Bank of Iceland’s
key interest rate by 0.5 percentage points,
from 9 to 8.5 percent.
May 6: Former CEO of Icelandic bank
Kaupthing, Hreidar Már Sigurdsson, was
arrested on this day after questioning at the
Special Prosecutor’s Office. He, along with
other former high-ranking Kaupthing executives,
was taken into custody. Sigurdsson was
released from custody on May 15 but is still
under a travel ban at press date. Former
Kaupthing chair Sigurdur Einarsson, who lives
in London, has refused to come to Iceland for
questioning and is, at press date, wanted by
Interpol.
May 7: Unemployment has not been more
widespread in Iceland since the rate was first
measured in 1991. According to Statistics
Iceland, of the almost 181,000 people on the
employment market in 2009, 13,100 were
unemployed, which is 7.2 percent of the workforce.
The unemployment rate is expected to
reach 8.5 percent this year.
May 11: A London court requested the freezing
of assets held by Icelandic tycoon Jón Ásgeir
Jóhannesson around the world. Moreover, the
winding-up committee of Glitnir announced
that its case against Jóhannesson, who used
to be the bank’s majority shareholder, began
in the Supreme Court of the State of New York
on this day.
May 15: It was reported that the windingup
committee of Landsbanki is in the final
stages of preparing a number of cases against
the bank’s former management and owners.
The requested reimbursement amounts to
ISK 90 billion. The board also asks for ISK
eight billion in insurance payments because
of criminal activity on behalf of the former
management.
May 18: Canadian company Magma Energy
acquired a 98.53 percent stake in the Icelandic
energy company HS. Magma’s Swedish subsidiary
bought Geysir Green Energy’s share in the
company. With the acquisition, Magma has the
right to harness energy in the Sudurnes region
in southwest Iceland. The maximum lease
period is 65 years.
May 20: The Icelandic airlines have suffered
significant losses in revenue because
of the volcanic eruption in Eyjafjallajökull.
Managing Director of Icelandair Birkir Hólm
Gudnason estimated that the eruption has
cost the airline’s mother company, Icelandair
Group, up to ISK 1 billion.
May 21: President of Iceland Ólafur Ragnar
Grímsson and Minister of Industry Katrín
Júlíusdóttir opened the first Icelandic data
center in Hafnarfjördur. An Icelandic company,
Thor DC, is behind the construction of the center
and its operations. Opera Software ASA, a
Norwegian company, will move a significant
part of its electronic data traffic to the center.
May 26: ESA, the EFTA Surveillance Authority,
notified the Icelandic government in a letter
of its opinion that the Icelandic state should
repay the minimum deposit insurance of
Landsbanki’s Icesave to the British and Dutch
states.
June 1: The Icelandic parliament, Althingi,
condemned the attack made by the Israeli
military on a convoy carrying aid supplies to
the Gaza Strip the previous day. Members of
all parties on the Foreign Affairs Committee,
except for the Independence Party, agreed to
a resolution giving the Foreign Minister the
task of estimating what measures Iceland can
take against Israel, including a possible break
of political ties.
June 3: The Ministry of Finance announced
that there are strong indications that the
national budget deficit which has to be corrected
in the national budget for 2011 will be
ISK 10 billion lower than originally expected;
approximately ISK 40 billion instead of 50
billion.
June 4: Dagur B. Eggertsson, vice-chairman of
the Social Democrats, and Jón Gnarr, comedian
and victor of the municipal elections in
Reykjavík, announced that Gnarr will become
mayor of Reykjavík for the next four years. c
Eygló Svala Arnardóttir
20 I&I

Fun Travel
Inspired by Iceland
Icelanders Invite the World to Visit Their Country.
The eruptions in Eyjafjallajökull and
Fimmvörduháls created a lot of interest
in Iceland, but also some misconceptions.
To counter the impression that traveling to
Iceland was in any way dangerous, a campaign
was started in May to encourage people to
travel to Iceland.
The song ‘Jungle Drum’ by Icelandic singersongwriter
Emilíana Torrini is used in a video
promoting Iceland as a travel destination. The
video, which shows people dancing to Torrini’s
‘Jungle Drum’ in various locations, should
correct misconceptions about the situation in
Iceland caused by the volcanic eruption in
Eyjafjallajökull and encourage people to come
visit the country.
Icelanders were asked to send the video to
friends and family. The ‘Jungle Drum’ video initiative,
called ‘Thjódin býdur heim’ (‘The nation
invites you home’), was formally launched in
Idnó in Reykjavík at a ceremony attended by
representatives of tourism companies, the government,
Reykjavík City and the Trade Council.
People, including various celebrities, are also
using social websites such as Facebook and
Twitter to share the video with their friends and
fans. Among them is musician-artist Yoko Ono,
who tweeted about the initiative. She has nearly
900,000 followers on Twitter.
Icelandic singer-songwriter Björk placed a link
to the new video from her Facebook profile.
Five cameras show images from Iceland
around the clock. Three are placed in Reykjavík,
one at the Blue Lagoon and one in Jökulsárlón,
the ice filled lagoon in southeastern Iceland.
Friends of Iceland include Viggo Mortensen
and Stephen Fry. The Lord of the Rings star is
a true friend of Iceland. He has been here on
many occasions and even exhibited his photographs
here. And he has nice things to say
about Iceland. Fry, who convinced me to do a
road trip in the United States after I watched his
travel show Stephen Fry in America, tweeted
that, “Despite what you might think, Iceland is
as alive and charming as ever.”
And he’s right, you know. At this time of year,
life is everywhere. The leaves on the trees are
opening up and have acquired that bright green
color of spring; the first of the flowers have
started to bloom; and lambs are being born at
farms across the country. c
I&I 21

Business
Daring, Caring
and Being Responsible
Icepharma, a Company with Values
Margrét Gudmundsdóttir, Chairman of The Icelandic Federation of
Trade, is one of the leading executives in Iceland. She has been
Managing Director of Icepharma since November 2005. Before that she was
a member of the top management team at Shell in Iceland for a decade,
having earlier served for nine years as a director at Q8, a Danish subsidiary
of Kuwait Petroleum International.
Icepharma is engaged in the sale and marketing of products from
leading international suppliers. It is a relatively young company in the
Icelandic healthcare market, founded in October 2004, although the roots
of the company can be traced back to the foundation of the pharmacy
Laugavegsapótek by Mr. Stefán Thorarensen in 1919. The last decade has
been characterized by mergers and acquisitions, but fortunately the company’s
solid foundation and extensive knowledge has been preserved
through those changes.
“Icepharma currently employs approximately 70 well educated people
with broad experience in their respective fields,” Gudmundsdóttir says. “We
have been lucky enough to attract very qualified employees and in the
last 3 years Icepharma has been nominated as an Outstanding company to
work for. Moreover, Icepharma was awarded The Environmental Prize by
the municipality of Reykjavik in 2007.” She goes on: “I find management
interesting and the idea of running a company in a way that makes people
feel good and gives them the opportunity to develop both professionally
and personally on the job is very exciting.”
The majority of Icepharma employees are women but Gudmundsdóttir
says that is not company policy. “It just so happens that there are many
women in the pharmaceutical profession, but of course we employ men as
well. We are an equal opportunity workplace in every sense.”
Finally, we ask what Gudmundsdóttir likes best about the business
world: “The best thing is that since business principles are so general, your
background is not so important. You will not get a job as a health care
professional unless you have the right experience and qualifications, but as
a business manager, you can go through all sorts of companies and work in
all sorts of scenarios even if you don’t have professional knowledge about
every little detail within the company.” c
Photo: Geir Ólafsson
22 I&I

Icelandic Design
Playing Seal, Napping Volcano
Design collective Vík Prjónsdóttir, based in Vík in South Iceland, is inspired by the surrounding
dramatic landscape and by local folk tales, resulting in energetic, fun and colorful designs.
Products include a spread printed with a topographical map of the neighboring volcanoes
Eyjafjallajökull and Katla, covered by the Mýrdalsjökull icecap,
and a seal-shaped blanket.
An excerpt from articles by Sari Peltonen, published in Iceland Review and Atlantica.
Photo: Gulli Már
Photo: Egill Kaveli Karlsson
vikprjonsdottir.com
I&I 23

24 I&I
. Trade Council of Iceland .
www.icetrade.is
. invest in iceland agency .
www.invest.is
. Ministry for Foreign Affairs .
www.mfa.is