Icelandic Art???

I am deep in study mode for our final exam this week, but I wanted to take a break to talk about Icelandic Art (let's be real - this is my second major study break after a trip for FroYo). I've already put up a few pictures of Icelandic art...which can often be mistaken for Mother Nature just doing her thang. There are some other pieces of Icelandic art strewn about the city that are just bizarre. I'm taking 'art' very liberally.  For example, to start:

This is a happy little friend from one of my favourite bars in the city, named 'Boston'.  I have absolutely no idea what this animal is supposed to be. But he's cute.

THIS. ARCHITECTURE.  This is the most recognizable landmark in Iceland: The Hallsgrímskirkja.  It sits on the top of a hill in the center of town and you can see it from miles around.  It is a really convenient meeting point for that reason. The best part is the enormous organ inside:

Then there are the 'is this art?' pieces of which I've already posted a few. Below is 'Black Cone', which is supposed to represent civil disobedience.  Okay.

And it looks like this guy is having a hard day at work:

Below is a piece of art found in the Alþingi hus, where the Icelandic Parliament meets. 

It's super creepy - if you put your ear up to it, a voice whispers to you in Icelandic.

Our guide told us that it once said something a little rude to one of the bishops of Iceland.

This piece from the culture museum is made up of tiny little stones.  When it's put into storage, it's just a bunch of rocks.  I don't know how they're stuck to the wall.

This is from the same room in the culture house: it's from the 'Down' perspective room.  There were a bunch of boxes like this, scattered around the top floor gallery with tiny models of Icelandic bird's eye views.

THIS is the view from the main performing space at Harpa.  The space is called 'Eldborg', which means 'Fire City', and the whole space makes you feel like you're in the middle of a volcano.  There was also a space that looked like it was surrounded by the Northern Lights, but it was mainly a coincidence of design - the wooden slats and colorful cloth behind them were put in place for acoustic purposes.

Here's a view of the lobby of Harpa.  I didn't see anything performed, but a bunch of friends and I got a guided tour of the space.  It was absolutely extraordinary.

And there you have it - a small taste of the odd selection of art and architecture in this kooky small country. I have NO idea if I'll post again before my trip home this weekend - I'm trying to make the most of the rest of my time.  For example, yesterday, I went to Laugardalslaug, which is one of the many geothermal pools here in Reykjavik (I don't think I've mentioned how important the pools are to Icelandic culture - instead of hanging out in bars, Icelanders sit and chat in hot tubs.  It's a great national pastime).  This pool was different - it had a HUGE waterslide and a live band!  The musicians looked like they were in high school - they were adorable, and impressively professional.  And the waterslide had crazy disco lights on the inside halfway down.  Soooo, life is good in Iceland.