August 1

August 2011

UNA The magazine of Worldwide Friends

www.veraldarvinir.is

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From the editor

Review

In this time of incredible fear concerning economy, volunteering is more important than ever. Based on the good will of some brave citizens, this courageous activity contributes to enhance relations between people and plants hope where nothing more than despair seems possible to many.

Editors Nicolas Delvienne Zuzana KovĂĄÄ?ovĂĄ

Because of the vision of one man, Toti Ivarsson , work camps have been taking place for 10 years. I am not going to say that it was an easy job. No, not at all. Maintaining this organization alive considering all the problems we have to face is a permanent challenge. But thanks to the astonishing courage of all of us, we can observe that we are persistent and getting stronger everyday.

Proofreading Thea Roemmen

Contributing Writers Daria Parshina Seon Hyang Byeon Since 2001, World wide Friends has been bringing together Kirill Ivanov thousands of people on various projects in Iceland and abroad.

Roger Carles Hundreds of thousands of hours of work have been offered to the local communities and numerous bridges between foreigners have been Design build.

Marina Potapenkova

Production Worldwide Friends

What does this teach us? That life is hard but life is good. To achieve great goals, we must work with passion and persist in the direction we have decided to go.

There is no easy way to accomplish something valuable. We must be strong and courageous. Persisting, always persisting...here is the key...

Thanks to all of you and have a very long life, World wide Friends Veraldarvinir...

Nicolas Delvienne

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What is in here for you?

A Campaign for Worldwide Friends

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Worldwide Shop, a place to discover

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Toti, the 10 year Interview

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Meet Our Camp Leaders: Photo Marathon & Cultural night

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Iceland's cuisine: Past and Present

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Photography according to an expert: RAX

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Tryggvi and the music

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Souvenirs that make you remember

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Recommended events.

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A Campaign for Worldwide Friends Seon Hyang is 19. She is one of our volunteers from South Korea and a participant of our Photography and Journalism camp. When we told her that WF gets no financial support from the Icelandic government, she felt that something needed to be done and started a petition.

Interviewer: So Seon Hyang. Why do you do this?

Seon hyang: I really want to be at the origin of a movement to support WF. The financial support is totally insufficient and this organization cannot continue like this.

Int: And why are you wearing your traditional clothes?

S: Well, I know it is very important to be seen. I want the people in the street to be curious about what I am doing.

Int: Do you have any wishes concerning the future of this campaign?

S: I would like to see other volunteers doing the same job than me. We need signature of thousands of people. I want all ICELAND to speak about the fantastic job of WF.

Int: Thanks a lot for what you are doing. It is so great to have you in Worldwide Friends.

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Worldwide Shop, a place to discover!

Name: CÉLIA RICHARD Age: 20 Country: FRANCE Occupation: DESIGNER

Worldwide Friends for you is… …life! It represents what I have been always looking for!

How long have you been helping WF? I have been helping this organization since I came here in February 2010.

Worldwide Friends Shop is situated in the heart of the Icelandic capital on Hverfisgata 59. A wide variety of items are sold there: designer clothing, musical instruments, handcrafts, modern art, jewelry etc. Most of those amazing objects are made with love by volunteers from all over the world during WF’s work camps.

The shop opened in 2009 but has been transformed a lot in the two last years. “The place was in a terrible condition. We had to renovate every part of it. We worked tooth and nail to do something nice out of it. When I look back, I have a positive feeling about what we have done and I’m very satisfied with our results” – said Célia. And she is right. The atmosphere of the shop is very harmonious. It is a place where you feel good and where all the items are presented with a lot of style.

By the way (and this is very important), all the profits made by the shop go to a volunteering project called Tierra Bomba. It is a little island in the Caribbean where a lot of people suffer from poverty, pollution and other problems. Four projects took place there last year during two months. These work camps were mainly focused on renovation. “We worked on different places like a kid park and some houses that were in a bad shape. We painted them by using the african technique that we also used in Reykjavik to give brightness and happiness to gray and dirty places” – explained Célia. During the weekends volunteers also created cultural activities such as a football matches, communication games and they also gave English lessons as well.

Célia’s impression is that the situation in Colombia is extremely difficult but volunteers are doing their best to find a solution. Hope is the most important and volunteers are full of it.

The next project in Tierra Bomba will take place in October 2011. Everyone who would like to join us is more than welcome!

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Sweater – 23.000 ISK Backpack – 9.000 ISK Scarf – 4.500 ISK Hat – 2.500 ISK Bracelets – from 500 to 1.500 ISK Rings – from 500 to 1.000 ISK

Sweater – 18.000 ISK Mittens – 2.500 ISK Necklace – 1.500 ISK

Sweater – 18.000 ISK Fancy bag – 5.000 ISK Necklace – from 500 to 1.500 ISK Earrings – from 500 to 1.000 ISK

Designer sweater – 12.500 ISK Runes – 4.000 ISK Necklace – from 500 to 1.500 ISK

Designer sweater – 12.500 ISK Drum – 9.000 ISK Necklace – 3.000 ISK Bracelets – from 500 to 1.500 ISK

Designer sweater – 12.500 ISK Necklace – 3.000 ISK

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Toti: The 10-year Interview

Toti Ivarsson, 50 years old.

Creator and Director of Worldwide Friends.

“My work is my life”. “It’s a privilege to do something in your life that you’re enjoying”

This summer we celebrate the anniversary of Worldwide Friends, the organization that has united people from all over the world and carried with it an impact on Icelandic life. Spreading now to other countries, WF is transforming itself into a big community of people with great initiative who want to use their energy and creativity for helping.

To mark this important event, we invited Toti to have a conversation with us about his work, his wishes and about the most significant results of Worldwide Friends.

Interviewer: How did you come up with the idea of Worldwide friends (WF)?

Toti: I’ve been involved in different organizations as a volunteer and a staffer for 20 years before I started WF. For years, I was working for an organization hosting long term volunteers. At home, I have hosted a total of seven international volunteers, each staying for 6-12 months. In the past, I was also very active in Amnesty International and Greenpeace. During an international meeting in Finland, it was probably in 1999-2000, one guy came to me and asked me why I was not doing volunteering projects in Iceland. The idea of short term volunteering was a very interesting one because there was nothing like that in Iceland at that time. So, when I came home, I went to the organization that I was working with, met the board of managers and said: “Let’s go for this. Let’s start this kind of program”. But they did not want to do it. So I met with my friend and my brother, and we decided to start a new organization focusing on short term volunteering.

The aim of the whole thing was to bring people together to foster friendship. So, that’s why the name of the organization is Worldwide Friends.

Int: What was the theme of the very first project?

T: It was environment. We were cleaning coast lines, planting trees, making hiking paths. But it took us 2 years just to establish the organization, to get the contacts abroad and also in the Iceland. We only started to host volunteers in 2003.

Int: What was the most difficult things at the beginning?

T: The most difficult thing was to get the partnership here in Iceland because when we came to the local communities, they said that young people are coming mostly to have fun, not to work.

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But we managed to have 7 work camps with 70 international volunteers the first year, and all those partners that we had at that time are still working with us. So I guess they were quite happy with the results of the volunteers’ work.

Int: Could you tell us about the evolution of the work camps?

T: Now we’re hosting around 150 work camps each year. Our growth has been quite fast. Now we are not only doing environmental work, but also cultural and artistic work camps. I am quite satisfied with the results and how the organization has been moving trough the years. The first camp we did in the east was in 2003. That was one of the first camps that we did. We also had a camp in 2003 in Solheimar and we are still cooperating with them. But It is only in 2006-2007 that we started to do different kinds of work camps like working in festivals and doing something here in Reykjavik.

Int: What about your impact in Reykjavik?

T: In the beginning we were not visible at all in the capital. But now we are hosting many work camps in Hverfisgata. One of our largest goals is to change the reputation of the street, because it has been known for many years as a place where you can find a lot of homeless people, drug addicts, prostitutes and so on. Since we arrived, things started changing. Young people are starting to do something in the street, opening galleries, renting houses for working. So, slowly people are coming and they want to participate.

Int: Is it still problem with the street?

T: Yes, but you can feel that it’s improving every year.

Int: Nowadays, do you have any problems that you have to get rid of?

T: I think that the government is not showing enough interest in what we’re doing. And I don’t understand it because we’re having meetings with ministers and with people from the Parliament all the time. For some reason they’re not willing to contribute and that is why we are asking volunteers to pay a participation fee, which is not the normal procedure in the European countries. In Europe, most of the volunteers are not paying fees because organizations get financial support from the governments. But here in Iceland they’re not giving anything. We don't get a single krona from them.

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Int: Even private companies? No one is willing to contribute?

T: No. 4 years ago we started one of the our biggest project. It was cleaning the all coast line of Iceland , and we managed to clean 2500km, it’s like the half of the coast line. We had 50000 ISK from the Minister of the Environment. This is around 300 euros. This is nothing you know. It is just enough to drive 9 people 1 time to the east. Only for the van. It’s ridiculous how little they’re contributing. But there was an association of fisheries, they gave us 1000000 ISK for the project.

This was the only grant that we’ve ever had from private companies.

Int: Do you have any plans or ideas to make government pay attention to Worldwide friends?

T: We are doing news letters and sending them to the parliament, to the ministers and hopefully they will recognize our work. I really hope so. And they should. Because we’re bringing 1600-1700 volunteers every year to Iceland, and those are not normal visitors. They are doing very useful things for the country. And when they come back home they are like ambassadors of this nation.

Int: Worldwide friends is also working now in other countries too, right?

T: Yes, we’re doing workcamps in Colombia.

Int: Do you have plans to do it in other countries?

T: Yes, we’re very open for that. If there are countries where this program is not offered, we are willing to start it. And for the moment we’re thinking about Senegal. It would be nice to have workcamps there.

Int: By the way, how come WF is doing camps in Colombia?

The reason is that my wife is from that country. While we were there on holidays, I visited some very small island in the Caribbean sea. Extremely poor people were living there, not supported by anyone. The kids were running naked in the streets. A very poor life. That is why me and Antonio, who was also with me on those holidays, we decided to help and host workcamps there, and we did 4 workcamps last year on this island. Now we’re going to offer the same program in October and November 2011. And hopefully we will also bring a group of 10-15 Icelanders over there. We will work with a small organization in the island that we want to become independent from us in the future.

Int: After 10 years, what is your best achievement and what are you still not satisfied about?

T: Well, the fact that we have been able to clean half of the coast line of Iceland is something I 9

am very proud about. This is a very great project. And concerning my disappointment, I can say that I feel it when I see once in a while volunteers unsatisfied by the program. People are always coming with expectations and it is very sad when they leave unhappy of what they have experienced here.

Int: Do you use sometimes the ideas of the volunteers to make new work camps?

T: A lot of work camps that we’re doing now have been initiated by volunteers. Some long term volunteers have even created different kind of camps. It’s always nice when people are coming up with new ideas. And we are always very opened for that.

Int: Could you tell us what your usual working day consists of?

T: My work is my life. I think there is no line between my personal life and my work. I am always available for the organization and the volunteers. But I like it. It is a privilege to do something in your life that you are enjoying.

Int: And concerning the media? Do they talk about WF? T: In Iceland you have a very easy access to the media. It is not complicated to contact those people and to have an article in the newspaper or an interview. Every year we have a promotion in several newspapers, radio and on TV as well.

Int: How can you explain the fast success of Worldwide Friends and this big expansion?

T: I think that people are very interested in coming here. We have camps, and they are full. We create more camps, and they are full. It seems that people are fascinated by this island. I think this is the main reason. And also it has been quite easy to create new projects, to get cooperations with local communities and so on.

Int: Can you tell us about the history of this newspaper? Why is it called “Una”?

T: It’s an Icelandic word that means “pleasure”. We started to do this newspaper two years ago.

And it’s a very good way to promote your organization. It is also a good way to keep history together. It helps to see how organization is moving.

Int: So, thanks a lot. It was great to see you and it’s very nice that you are always available for volunteers.

T: Always a pleasure. It was nice to be here!

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Meet Our Camp Leaders: Photo Marathon

Name: ION LERA Age: 29

“19 girls and 3 boys, sometimes it’s too much for me”

Country: SPAIN Occupation: CAMP LEADER

Photo marathon is a competition in which photographers have to take pictures on topics such as love, music, people, urban art and houses in Reykjavik.

Everyone can join this event. It doesn’t matter who you are. You might be a professional photographer or just someone who enjoys taking pictures. The aim of this project is to promote the culture of photographing in the city. All the pictures of the contest can be seen at the World Wide Shop in Reykjavik, Hverfisgatia st., 59.

Concerning the jury, the participants of the work camp “Photo Marathon” will be in charge of choosing the best pictures.

We have interviewed John the camp leader and 3 volunteers to get some feelings about all this.

Worldwide Friends for you is… …my home. Since the moment I have arrived in Iceland I felt home here.

What is your favorite Icelandic meal?

Lamb.

How was your life before Iceland?

I worked 2 years in Spain and I wasn’t enjoying it.

I wanted to open my mind, and thanks to Worldwide Friends I can do it here.

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Were you in charge of groups before coming here?

I had my first experience as camp leader in Iceland and I’m really happy about it. I like to organize and coordinate everything.

What about this camp?

I love this group. There are 19 girls and 3 boys.

Sometimes it’s too much for me but it’s ok. I am having a great time.

What is next for you?

I am now at a point in my life where I am making plans concerning my future.

I am not going back to Spain anytime soon.

Can you tell us your feelings about Iceland?

I like this country. I have met really nice people.

Here you can go on the street and ask whatever you need to anyone and they will help you.

Icelanders are great people. Nature is lovely too.

It’s an unforgettable feeling getting to see all the sights.

… and the volunteers: What are your expectations for the camp?

We want to make new friends and travel around Iceland. We also want to improve our photography skills, take pictures and enjoy our time.

What do you think about the group?

There are nice people, but sometimes it’s hard to communicate with some of them. The language barrier is something we must overcome.

What is the dark side and the bright side of this experience?

There is no bright or dark side to be honest.

Everything is in the middle. And in the morning we hate ourselves when we look in the mirror.

We party too much! So yeah, probably it’s a dark side ;-) What is your ultimate goal by doing all this?

To help people and to travel!

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Meet Our Camp Leaders: Culture Night Name: TOMI TUOVINEN Age: 25 Country: FINLAND Occupation: CAMP LEADER

“A great place to gain new experiences, build social skills and make friends while contributing to something good.”

Reykjavík’s Culture Night is a famous event in the cultural life of Iceland. On the 20th of August, thousands of people will be in the streets to enjoy activities such as games for kids, exhibitions and beautiful concerts. This year, there will be a piano concert at 16:00 in the National Museum.

Pianist Jon Sigurdsson will play works by Mozart and Liszt. At 22:30, the lights in the glass facade of new building Harpa will be turned on for the first time. And there will be also fireworks!

Concerning our 25 volunteers of the work camp "Culture Night in Reykjavík", this day will be the most important for them of course and they will offer some great activities to celebrate the event: a ghost house, a drum parade but also some face-paint and games for children.

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We had the chance to interview Tomi, the team leader in charge of this camp. It was a few days before D-day.

What is Worldwide Friends for you?

A great place to gain new experiences, build social skills and make friends while contributing to something good.

So what can you tell us about this event?

I’ve been enjoying Cultural Nights for the last two years and I’m sure that this one will be one of the most interesting events of the summer. There will be a lot of things happening in the streets. It will start in the morning and it will go on all day long. The most interesting part of it will be probably at night.

What about the ghost house?

We will decorate Hverfisgata 59 like a ghost hospital full of zombies. And we are going to encourage people in the street to come and take part in the scary story of this house.

An the drums Parade?

Our volunteers will perform a drum parade on Laugavegur. We’re going to start at 00:00 and it will be approximately one hour long. We’ve been preparing the drums from recycled material and we have been painting them. It will be nice and colorful.

Something about the team?

Our camp is composed of 25 volunteers and sometimes it is hard to organize everything and give the instructions to the group at the same time. But I have to say that mostly everyone is doing his duty. The cooking team and cleaning team are both very good examples of that.

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Iceland‘s Cuisine: Past and Present The individual nations differ from each other in various aspects, whereas eating habits and constitution of their meals are one of the important attributes of the nation. Just like the people, the national cuisine is prone to changes; it develops and it’s formed together with the development of the society. However, certain traits remain.

Whilst visiting a foreign country, besides noting obvious differences such as those in climate, flora and appearance of the natives, we are interested in the local cuisine. Tasting the traditional dish is a must for every tourist. So, how about Iceland’s cuisine?

Throughout the Past We may find the origins of the Icelandic cuisine in the Scandinavian tradition, because Viking migrants coming to Iceland brought with them not only the tools and methods for cultivating the land but also their eating habits. Besides historical events, the natural conditions had a profound effect on the development of the Icelandic cuisine. Both christianization and the reformation had a significant impact on farming. Danish rule also had an impact; the first written cookbooks published in Icelandic were collections of Danish recipes. Owing to the cold climate and long winter period, there was a lack of vegetables and cereals in the original menu, nevertheless it was rich in meat and cheese due to the prevalence of sheep and cattle. The traditional methods of meat processing include curing and fermentation, which remain in use today, mainly to preserve the shark’s meat. From a geographical point of view, Iceland is predestined for fishing which is a long-time tradition. In the early 20th century an economic boom based on fishing caused a transition from traditional dairy and meat-based food to fish and root vegetables.

During the 20th century also due to the influence of schools and secondary education of women, food quality is emphasised, mainly its freshness as well as the “purity” of ingredients.

There was a remarkable growth in consumption of fish and seafood. Fresh fish became a cheap commodity and a staple in the cuisine of fishing villages around the country.

How It Is Nowadays Some of the traditional dishes are commonly eaten until today; others are prepared only for special occasions such as Christmas. Quality and freshness of ingredients is still important. For example it is forbidden to use hormones in fodder, which means Icenand’s meat and meat products rank among the healthiest in Europe. Because of the ratio of sheep to people four to one, lamb is ubiquitous and it retains its place among the favourite dishes.

The fishing industry is one of the pillars of Iceland’s economy; however the last century’s boom is the thing of the past already. This fact has also been expressed on fish consumption. Despite the fact that the country surpassed any other European country in per capita fish consumption twenty years ago, this is not valid in today due to a steep increase in fish prices. However fish and seafood still belong to the most favourite dishes.

Iceland did not escape the influence of foreign cuisines and fast-food chains and struggles to be self-supplied in terms of food. Among the examples we could name greenhouses established to grow fruits and vegetables. The first vegetable gardens were constructed as agricultural experiments in the late 17th century, but growing vegetables didn’t become common until the Napoleonic wars. Tradition of vegetable gardens was brought by Danish immigrants. Mostly commonly grown vegetable at that time were cabbage, rutabaga, turnip and potatoes. Nowadays gardens produce also cucumbers and many kinds of different fruits.

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Influence of Tourism Unfortunately, in many cases they try to do the utmost for the tourist and many restaurants and establishments have gone with the flow and offer “traditional” Icelandic dish.

As a matter of fact, the menu of puffin’s, seal’s or whale’s meat is a thing of the past and could not be seen on the tables common Icelander.

The similar tourist attraction is catfish which they can fish themselves and Hákarl (rotten shark), which is prepared by burying in the sand for about six months, because of the high amount of ammonia and neurotoxins in its meat. It tastes like a combination of a strange fish and strong French cheese with a hint of ammonia.

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Unique yet “Normal” Icelandic Food – Eaten by the Locals!!!: Smoked lamb (Hangikjot) – which is the traditional dish served at Christmas,

Marinated herring (Sild) – herring marinated in vinegar, mustard or tomato sauce with some onions, pepper and spices.

Rye bread (Rugbraud) – dark and dense bread Dried fish (Hardfiskur) – which are wind-dried, quite popular as a snack, sometimes eaten with butter

Icelandic curds (Skyr) – looks and tastes a lot like yogurt, but is actually a type of cheese made from skimmed milk.

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Photography according to an expert: RAX

Name: RAGNAR AXELSSON Country: ICELAND Occupation: PHOTOGRAPHER

“It is very important not to believe the picture is great just because something special happened to us when we took it”

When coming to Iceland for the first time it is hard to imagine that charming and welcoming people live in this inhospitable and remote country. Ragnar Axelsson is one of them.

“Rax”, as he also calls himself, is a worldwide known photographer and whose work has been published in the most prestigious magazines and newspapers. Four times awarded photographer of the year in Iceland, Axelsson is an enthusiastic of the Arctic and its indigenous communities of Inuit people.

His interview took place on the first floor on Hverfisgata 59. With a kind smile and a penetrating look through his fashionable blue glasses, he answered to all of our questions.

Interviewer: How is it to be a photographer? Do you travel a lot?

Rax: Since the crisis hit us, the media has changed a lot so we don't do as much travel as before.

I just travel by myself. I do projects on my own, like the book “Last days of the Arctic”. It has been 25 years of work, going back and forth to the Arctic and to Greenland. I am doing all kind of projects. Another is about taking pictures of faces in the icebergs. Those figures have been there since 800 years and because of global warming they are melting away fast. It is a kind of fairy tale going away.

Int: So you are specialized in any type of pictures?

R: I actually work for a newspaper as a news photographer. The projects we just talked about are 18

like side projects. I am a documentary photographer and I do all kinds of work and those extra projects are just a consequence of my passion.

Int: Are there a lot of professional photographers? Is it complicated to enter that business?

R: Yes, it has changed drastically in the last years when the digital camera came along. Before, you had to use films and because of that they were only a few people taking pictures. Now everybody is taking pictures. In the past, when something happened in the world, newspapers and magazines used to send people all around. But now, you can even get a picture by a phone. So they are not sending us like they used to. And now they want the videos too. So it is a totally different job. More complicated. Everybody is insisting you do both pictures and videos but you can't do both at the same time with the same level of quality. If you try to do both you will do one thing badly. And everybody knows that...

Int: Is the job of photographer well paid or do photographers need to have more than one job?

R: No. For some it is well paid, especially the big names in photography around the world. But here it is kind of average you know. It is not bad, not good. And when you are not a staff member then is it a kind of everyday struggle to get a job. But freelance photographers get sometimes a lot of money. For example during the last (volcanic ed.) eruptions.

Int: Could you give us an anecdote about your work? Something strange, weird or funny that happened to you?

R: Everything happened to me while I was taking pictures.

For example, while in was in the North, I was living weeks on the ice just in a tent photographing hunters and polar bears. The ice was cracking up and we fell in the ocean and we had to survive.

Int: What are your perspectives of the future? Are you going to keep on photographing?

R: I hope so yes. I would like to. Photography has a great future but things are evolving. Young kids are not buying newspapers, they buy Ipads. There is a window somewhere that we have to find. I don't think anybody has find it yet but the one who will find it will be very rich.

Int: Do you think Internet has changed things a lot?

R: Yes, a lot. In a good way and also in a bad way because it has hit all the newspapers and magazines in the world. They have lost a lot of money and that have reduced their ability to cover the news. Years ago, whenever whales would strand on a shore in the north, we would fly there in order to photograph it. And the picture was big in the paper. Today, we don't go and if somebody takes a picture the paper don't even publish it. Today it is only about famous people who don't even know themselves why they are famous for. It is the most boring piece of shit in the world.

Like actors in America or something like that. They haven't done anything at all. But they are in the media, followed by paparazzi photographers that they hate but it is the only ones keeping them 19

alive.In the past, when there was starvation in Africa, like there is now in Somalia, then you could see big pictures in the magazines showing how the real world is. And people here reacted by giving money for food.

Int: This situation exists since a long time. It is not a new thing right?

R: I think it is like fashion. It is going in circle. It will come back. Real stories will be again in the papers. I don't know when but I believe so. Or maybe I am too optimistic I don't know.

But in any case I really hate stories about famous people who don't know themselves why they are famous for. I really don't like them.

Int: Are there Paparazzi in Iceland?

R: No, there are no paparazzi actually. We don't have those individuals that are following people everywhere they go. It is not like that. One day, someone called me and asked me to take pictures of Paul McCartney.

I was very interested but when he told me to follow him everywhere he went I refused the job.

This man has brought so much joy to our world. He should be left alone if he wants to be left alone. So I told that to the guy who wanted me to do the job and he was really angry on the other side of the line. He said that he would then send someone else to follow him. I replied him that we would not allow him to do that. We would protect Paul McCartney and beat the paparazzi up ;-) So yes, this is the kind of paparazzi we don't have. And by the way I don't think that this activity has anything to do with photography.

Int: Is photography a powerful social weapon?

R: Yes. It was photographies for example that stopped the war in Vietnam because they showed all the horror that was there. A good picture can live forever. And on the contrary of a video that you cannot watch all the time, a photography can stay in your mind and you can have it on a wall, in a pub or whatever.

Int: Do you think that photography have changed with the time?

R: Yes. It has changed. Today the most expensive photography in the world is a picture of a shelve in a shop. To me it is kind of crazy because you can do that picture over and over again. But there are a lot of moments in life you can take pictures of and that you will never have anymore.

For example, Mona Lisa is gone and you will be never able to paint her again can you?

I think the world is kind of blind to see a good photograph yet. Because the most expensive pictures today are not good photographs at all. I am sorry but I believe there is something wrong about paying billions of dollars for pictures like that.

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Int: Is it all the emotional and mystery context around the picture? The stories told about it, the personality of the photographer...?

R: No, there is no context. In some cases, they have just made a big name out of a photographer.

I can't explain why some of the photographers are so big. Sometimes they are famous to do simple pictures, like this wall for example.

I am not saying that I have done the good thing but by taking the pictures of the Inuit hunters in Greenland I am capturing something fading away. The youngsters don't want to be hunters anymore and if Greenland finds oil they will be very rich. They won't be anymore on the ice trying to survive. So I have photographed something that you cannot do again.

If you do landscapes, you can do it beautifully. But in 5000 years a lot of them will be exactly the same.

Int: So what is the most important for you when you see a picture? What matters most?

R: I think this is just the feeling. There was a friend of mine, a painter, a very big name. One day, he started taking pictures and he asked me when was the best feeling in that activity. I told him that it is when you print the pictures. He told me that it was not true. The best moment for him was when you click and shoot. And he was probably right!

You know, I like a lot of pictures. I look at a lot of books of young photographers and I like a lot of them. Concerning my own pictures, I takes me sometimes a very long time to decide either I like a picture or not.

But there is something we have to be careful about when we judge a picture that we took. It is very important not to believe the picture is great just because something special happened to us when we took it. What matters most is what the picture is telling us, not what we felt when we took it.

Int: Any last advice?

R: Maria Del Mar is one of the greatest photographers on this planet. She is living in New york.

She is a great teacher, a great women and a good friend. As I was in her workshop 5 years ago, she told me to take much more pictures because I was really taking a few.

And In Greenland, as I was working by -35°C, I remembered her words and kept on shooting even I thought I had a good one. That was the correct attitude because it allowed to really take great ones, much better than the one I thought that was good.

ŠCopyright Ragnar Axelsson for all the photographies of this article

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Tryggvi and the music There are a lot of places where you can hang out in Reykjavik. In the afternoon it can be museums, galleries, parks. And in the evening, tired of walking a lot but full of new impressions, you can go to many pubs to enjoy a wide range of drinks and listen to some amazing musicians.

They play live and don’t leave you a chance to go out.

On Wednesday the 10th we have met one of them in the Irish pub Dubliner during a free concert that we enjoyed very much.

Tryggvi is a guitar player and vocalist from Iceland that has a strong voice with a wide range from low to very high notes. He has been doing music ever since he was a child.

He is a good example of a person who didn’t go to musical school but became a great musician nonetheless. When we asked him how he learned to play guitar, he answered that he did it only by himself. His technique was to listen to music and then to try to play it afterwards.

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Tryggvi received his first keyboard when he was 8 and begun exercising at that age. At 16 he became aware of his vocal abilities and decided to sing. He practiced a lot, and found inspiration in artists such as Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Uriah Heep and Jimmy Hendrix.

Despite his strong passion for music and the fact that he played in various bands, it is not easy for him to start doing it professionally “You need a lot of money to make a record by yourself in your own studio before presenting it to the record company. There are a lot of challenges for young people who want to dedicate themselves to music.”

But Tryggvi won't abandon his dream. He is doing two jobs in the same time to reach his goal.

Working all day and singing in many places at night, proposing different styles of music like rock, folk, pop, blues.

It has been 8 years now since he started playing and singing for tourists and native people. We hope that it is just the beginning of his career and that he will be able to be a professional musician.

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Souvenirs That Make You Remember Most people love to remember their holidays and travels. Yet photographs are not the only thing which remind you of pleasant moments spent, interesting places visited or a specific atmosphere encountered on vacation. Souvenirs enable you to go back in time and enjoy your experience once again. Some of these souvenirs are funny while others are unusual up to bizarre. Get inspired with our selection. There's probably no better description than: “What the hell?”

Salesmen do really tend to think of everybody – in case you fell in love with fresh Icelandic air, there’s no need to despair – you only need to dig in your pocket – and buy some in a can.

You may express your enthusiasm and affection to this beautiful island of a country by means of buying knickers of a hot pink colour with inscription on both sides. Fortunately, they are not made of Icelandic wool. 

This pencil might serve you well to note your observations, ideas or contact information. In order to be protected from getting cold during those chilly winter days, it comes with a woolly jacket which makes it noticeable at the first sight.

Whale bone makes an unconventional souvenir. You may use it to make your own jewellery or show it off on your mantelpiece. An in case you’ll get bored with it, it still may be a source of happiness for your pet dog.

Those of us who adore shoes and love to collect them may enlarge their collection by new trophies found in several stores. The boots made of seal's fur would make a very good choice to overcome the freezing winter season. However, animal rights activists would not be amused by this decision. In case the suffering and death of animals doesn't impress you much, it may be their price which makes you think twice. You need 72000 ISK to buy them.

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Puffins are everywhere! This sweet-looking Icelandic mascot is a favourite object of any souvenir merchant, therefore we could not forget about them in our selection. If you already find their postcards, stuffed versions and T-shirts with their image boring and you would rather prefer something more extraordinary, you may buy the kitchen mittens with their image. Thus you would remember your stay in Iceland every time you are getting a cake out of the oven.

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Thank you for reading See you soon in Iceland... http://www.veraldarvinir.is/

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