Insider's Guide to Reykjavík, Iceland
- Text by HUCK HQ
- Photography by Ed Andrews and Michael Fordham
Iceland established itself as an economic miracle in the first decade of the new millennium. With interest rates above 10%, depositing your money in the small volcanic nation seemed like a surefire route to wealth and happiness. Some thought it was too good to be true – and it was. In 2008, Iceland crashed spectacularly and became one of the biggest victims of the global financial crisis.
Instead of accepting the IMF’s prescription of drastic cuts, Icelanders went to the streets and deposed their government in the ‘pots and pans revolution.’ Bankers were jailed and people came together to find their own way out of the crisis. Iceland’s creative community benefitted enormously. It became affordable to pay rent again, find collaborators and get projects off the ground.
Huck’s Insider’s Guide to Reykjavík profiles the leading figures behind Iceland’s creative resurgence, including artist Sara Riel, cartoonist, playwright and stand-up Hugleikur Dagsson, Eygló Margrét Lárusdóttir, owner of progressive fashion boutique Kiosk, and Hilmar Grétarsson, publisher of Iceland Grapevine.
Tourists have flocked to enjoy this cultural renaissance and helped to support homegrown artists and businesses, but many locals now feel they’ve become victims of their own success. There are fears the tourist boom and explosion of hotel building is destroying the character of Reykjavík’s artsy 101 district.
Icelanders may worry about being inside another bubble, but while the rest of Europe struggling to lift itself out of recession, Reykjavík is buzzing with culture, creativity and life.
Read the full story on Reykjavík’s creative community in Huck 49 – The Survival Issue.
Subscribe to Huck’s YouTube channel to make sure you never miss another short film.
Latest on Huck
Plestia Alaqad: “Journalists should focus on humanising people”
Huck’s April interview — Having become one of the most crucial and followed voices from inside Gaza in the aftermath of October 7, the award-winning author and journalist is releasing a new memoir, ‘The Eyes of Gaza’, collating diary entries made over the past 18 months. We caught up with her to hear more about it.
Written by: Isaac Muk
The instrument makers taking DIY music to a whole new level
What does it take to construct a modular synth? How do you turn a block of wood into a double bass? Here, four craftspeople explain why they chose to rip up the rulebooks and build their own music-making machines.
Written by: Daniel Dylan Wray
Southbank Centre reveals new series dedicated to East and Southeast Asian arts
ESEA Encounters — Taking place between 17-20 July, there will be a live concert from YMO’s Haruomi Hosono, as well as discussions around Asian literature, stage productions, and a pop-up Japanese Yokimono summer market.
Written by: Zahra Onsori
In 1971, Pink Narcissus redefined queer eroticism
Camp classic — A new restoration of James Bidgood’s cult film is showing in US theatres this spring. We revisit its boundary pushing aesthetics, as well as its enduring legacy.
Written by: Miss Rosen
As amapiano goes global, where does it leave its roots?
Rainbow grooves — Over the past decade, the house music subgenre has exploded into a worldwide phenomenon. Jak Hutchcraft went to its birthplace of Mamelodi, South Africa, to explore its still-thriving local scene.
Written by: Jak Hutchcraft
Clubbing is good for your health, according to neuroscientists
We Become One — A new documentary explores the positive effects that dance music and shared musical experiences can have on the human brain.
Written by: Zahra Onsori