Posts Tagged ‘iceland’

For many artists, travel is a huge source of inspiration. This inspiration is readily felt in the multi-layered paintings of Joan Perlman.
Crystalline, Björk’s latest music video directed by Michel Gondry, features stunning stop-motion animation set in outer space. Björk sings and dances from inside a crystal ball, as crystals spring up all around her and pulsing line drawings scribble across the surface of the screen. Björk’s new album Biophilia, is set to be released September 26th.

Another Iceland obsessed post coming your way! I immediately fell in love with Morgan’s beautiful portraits of Iceland, whose sometimes rainbow-colored and sometimes snowy landscapes have the same arresting appeal about them as they do in person. I was absolutely smitten with her equally stunning photographs of Joshua Tree National Park in California (after the jump) and her photographs of Europe which evoke a fragile timelessness while capturing the spirit of a place so flawlessly. Simply gorgeous.



Calling all fashion lovers (especially those who admire Icelandic design sensibility): you must have a look at this Icelandic fashion video as well:
Icelandic Fashion is Inspired by Iceland from Inspired By Iceland on Vimeo.
Yes, I’ve got Iceland on the brain again! While diggin’ around the net, I came across this magnificent video by one of my favorite musicians, Emilíana Torrini (who happens to be of both Icelandic and Italian descent, by the way). This video manages to visually sum up exactly what it felt like to be in Iceland. Have a peek!
Inspired by Iceland Video on Vimeo.

Hákarl, also known as Putrefied Shark, is perhaps Iceland’s most infamous traditional delicacy. This eye-popping blast to the palate will drive tears to your eyes, and likely cause your gag reflex to flare up at first bite. Most commonly served with toothpicks as bite-sized cubes resembling cheese, these harmless looking babies reveal no hint of the overpowering aroma that awaits adventurous foodies.
Experiencing Hákarl
Hákarl’s distinct ammonia-heavy scent is reminiscent of rotten cheese mixed with industrial-grade cleaning products. Moist, with a fishy texture and a consistency slightly akin to bamboo shoots, this pungent dish packs a serious punch. Said to be an acquired taste even for Icelanders, brave travelers can try pinching their noses to take the shock value down a notch, but they’ll still have to contend with the strong ammonia aftertaste that lingers as a result of tasting even the tiniest morsel.

photo by Orvaratli.
In the wake of last month’s volcanic explosions in Iceland, photographers have been flocking to the Eyjafjallajokull glacier volcano to witness the spectacular fire show in action. They have captured some truly stunning scenes:

photo by Orvaratli.
(Click Here For More Icelandic Volcano Photos…)

Iceland, the land of fire and ice, has a new tourist attraction: a massive new lava eruption spewing from the long-dormant Fimmvörðuháls volcano, on the Eyjafjallajokull glacier in southern Iceland.
And entertainingly enough, a group of Icelandic chefs are even offering a once in a lifetime gastronomical treat: a gourmet meal fully cooked on the lava itself! The menu includes lobster soup, followed by flaming lobster and monkfish with lava-cooked shallot onions, and champagne. All this—including the helicopter ride to the site—will set you back 60,000, krónur, or $470 dollars.

I love the wicked-cool design of these posters, created for the Nordic Fashion Biennale. The first one was held last spring in Reykjavík, Iceland with a focus on west-Nordic fashion from Iceland, Greenland, and the Faeroe Islands, with over 60 participating designers, artists, and musicians from all over the world. I am a real sucker for Icelandic design sensibility, and I fell in love with many of the designs from the show straight away. Plus I love the unity of the graphic identity—from the website’s animated birds that swoop down to land on the mannequins, to the typography and stunning iconic posters—everything seemed to match the feel of the flowing garments perfectly, some of which loosely resembled the abstract forms of wings and feathers. Can’t wait to see what’s coming up for the next show!


(click here to see more Nordic fashion)

The image pictured above is from Graafland’s series Reykjavik Roofs, shot in Iceland in 2004. These photographs depict nude figures laid over A-frame Icelandic farmhouse roofs, speaking to the desolated isolation of the Icelandic landscape. With photo projects shot in the Netherlands, Jerusalem, New York, China, Bolivia, and Florida, Graafland offers captivating photographic commentaries that juxtapose the landscapes she chose to set them in. Graafland shot 2 particularly striking series in Bolivia: “Salt” and “Soft Horizon”, seen directly below. From “Salt”:



Check out more work at: http://scarletthooft.com/
(all photos from scarletthooft.com/)











