The Swedes have the reputation for being depressing and dour, but based on the evidence of the dark, dark cartoons of Hugleikur Dagsson, we should be keeping a close eye on Iceland as well.

Visually, Dagsson’s cartoons, populated by scarcely adorned stick figures, are a great deal like Randall Munroe’s creations at xkcd, but the sensibility couldn’t be more different, less science dork and much closer to, say, Simon Bond’s 101 Uses For a Dead Cat, which was a bit of a thing during the 1980s. Dagsson is unafraid to stray into taboo areas like cannibalism and incest. Many of his cartoons also make trenchant political points.

His style is a product of an incident at art school in 2002 when he created a slew of cartoons for an important project assignment at the last minute. Ditching his plans to present some wan watercolors, he cranked out some cartoons with stick figures, and—not that he could have known it—a career was born. He told the Telegraph, “I could philosophise about my lifelong love of minimalism, but my style really came from a last-minute panic at college.” His dark influences are not only Scandinavian; he noted that he has been influenced by “dark American comics, like Frank Miller’s.”

According to his bio, Dagsson has written three plays as well as created a TV series called Hulli that wouldn’t look out of place on Adult Swim, from all appearances. He also has 20 collections of his cartoons, with titles like Where’s God?, You Are Nothing, and My Pussy Is Hungry.
 

 

 
More after the jump…...

The Lavas’ Whisper
 
The “V” HS Project is a stunning series of photographs designed by French multimedia artist, Philip Ob Rey. The photos were shot in Ob Rey’s home of Iceland in collaboration with painter, Louie Otesanek, and photographer Mailie Viney.
 

Unknown Ashes - Unknown Voices
 
Ob Rey’s eerie subjects were constructed using old VHS tapes in nearly their entirety (as well as other materials such as stone, shells, feathers, and seaweed), then shot in various locations around Iceland from the snow-covered mountains, to the icy, windblown ocean. The figures, while foreboding, also possess the classical elements of Haute-Couture, which makes sense as Ob Rey grew up surrounded by the dizzying world of Parisian high-fashion.

While reading Ob Rey’s striking mission statement, it appears that the artist may have been attempting to present his visual take on what will become of the world as we know it, and what will rise after it has all turned to ash. Some have even said the work is in part a social commentary on the “death” of the VHS tape, and that with their creation, Ob Rey has provided a way for VHS fans to finally say goodbye to their long-treasured physical media of choice. That seems a bit labored. Overthinking it.
 

Submarine Wings and Seeds
 
Continues after the jump…

For the uncensored version, see here.
 
The ultra-chic dermal trousers above are housed in Strandagaldur, the Museum of Icelandic Sorcery & Witchcraft, but they are not the last intact pair of necropants—slacks of human skin that some 17th century Icelanders believed brought wealth and good luck to the wearer. These beautiful britches are a actually a facsimile of the last intact pair, which the museum does possess, but presumably keeps more covertly hidden, lest some fashionable sorcerer up and runs off with them. And how’s it done?

If you want to make your own necropants (literally; nábrók) you have to get permission from a living man to use his skin after his dead. After he has been buried you must dig up his body and flay the skin of the corpse in one piece from the waist down. As soon as you step into the pants they will stick to your own skin. A coin must be stolen from a poor widow and placed in the scrotum along with the magical sign, nábrókarstafur, written on a piece of paper. Consequently the coin will draw money into the scrotum so it will never be empty, as long as the original coin is not removed. To ensure salvation the owner has to convince someone else to overtake the pants and step into each leg as soon as he gets out of it. The necropants will thus keep the money-gathering nature for generations.

Cringe if you must, but they’re arguably a more ethical garment than a pair of sweatshop Old Navy cargo shorts, since one had to ask permission from the man before flaying his legs, feet and genitals. If you need a ridiculous visual aid, check out the instructional video below. I like that the phrase “coin purse” can be used both literally and figuratively to describe the process! Also, theft from widows!

(Disclaimer: Neither myself nor Dangerous Minds endorses the wearing of human skin, for either witchcraft or magical purposes. In fact, unless you are Lemmy, maybe stay away from leather pants altogether, huh?)
 

 
Thank you Royal

 
Rokk í Reykjavík is an Icelandic film made for local television in 1982 that seems like a cross between Penelope Spheeris’ The Decline of Western Civilization and Urgh! A Music War. Like Urgh! it’s a steady stream of band after band, nineteen total, some very good, some awful running the gamut from confrontational SoCal-style hardcore to Joy Division and Wire imitators to one group who look just like Loverboy! Like the Decline trilogy there are lots of interviews with incredibly nihilistic youngsters. (One pint-sized Darby Crash wannabe discuses how a meddling social worker made glue sniffing difficult in Reykjavik, but this led them to discover that gas huffing provided an even better high!)

Seen in Rokk í Reykjavík is Tappi Tíkarrass an incredibly tight punk/pop band led by a young (and super cute) Björk Guðmundsdóttir who have a Talking Heads meet B-52s meets ska meets Gang of Four vibe. Their name, should you be wondering, translates as “Cork the Bitch’s Ass!”
 

 
Also of note here is Purrkur Pillnikk, the punk band of Björk’s future Sugarcube bandmate Einar Örn Benediktsson. The old man chanting a poem at the start is Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson who was instrumental in forcing the Icelandic government to recognize the country’s pre-Christian Norse religion. Sveinbjörn can be heard performing Ásatrú marriage rites for Genesis and Paula P-Orridge on Psychic TV’s Live in Reykjavik double album.

For me, though, other than seeing the young (and super cute, did I mention that?) Björk in action, it’s the WTF avant garde antics of Bruni BB that steal the entire show. Directed by Friðrik Þór Friðriksson.
 

 
It was his art teacher who first suggested he should pick up a camera. “My paintings were shite. I had a wee camera but didn’t really use it much till I went to college where I did this design for print course thing at the GCBP (Glasgow College of Building and Printing). Most of the photographers who were there at the time thought I was studying photography I spent so much time in the darkroom.”

That’s when Brian Sweeney found he had more than just a natural talent for photography. A talent that would lead him to become one of the most sought after, award winning photographers in the Europe. 

It was probably something that as always there in the background, as he explained in this exclusive interview with Dangerous Minds:

Brian Sweeney: ‘A-ha, the background. Funnily enough, I met up with some old schoolfriends of mine recently, who informed me I was always an arty-farty little bastard. I do remember being told by the headmaster that school was for learning and not a bloody discotheque - I’ve always loved that word ever since during that period we were all dressing up as Dexy’s Midnight Runners, something I still haven’t grown out of yet - well, that 80s period anyway.’

It was his fascination with music and fashion and soccer that led Sweeney to start documenting the clubs he and his friends hung out in.

Brian Sweeney: ‘I’d always been around bands from an early age. We were going into night clubs like Lucifers (now the Sub Club) and Fury Murrys to see a lot of later Factory bands. Then Acid House kicked off and I was sort of there shooting DJs, my mates etc, the scene basically for fun…..then ID, The Face, Melody Maker needed shots of the regional scenes and my name popped up quite a lot, so I started shooting for them up here [in Glasgow]. It just sort of kicked off…I then started shooting for all the labels, just in the right place at the right time. Everything happened very quickly from being on the dole and arsing around nightclubs to well earning money and shooting celebrities and arsing around nightclubs in London.”’

Arsing about or not, Sweeney is a legendary figure in the photographic world, known for his professionalism, enthusiasm and boundless energy, going from one location to the next, fashion shoots, adverts, documentary work, magazine work - his creativity never stops. Sweeney’s been described as the equivalent of Hunter S Thompson with a camera - but only far more talented - while his looks have been described as a grizzled Santa’s helper or a more handsome Billy Bob Thornton, take your pick. 

See more of Brian’s work here and here.

Selection of photographs from Were Antelopes Sleep below, for details check here.
 

 

 
More from Sweeney and a selection of his photos from ‘Were Antelopes Sleep’, after the jump…
 

 
Thar she blows! Grimsvoetn, Iceland’s most active volcano began erupting late on Saturday, sending a plume of smoke and ash 12-miles high. It was reported there was so much ash blasted into the sky that it blocked out the sun and covered nearby villages and farms.

Last year, the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull volcano shut down airspace in 34 countries (the largest since World War Two), which cost the global airline industry $210million a day during the disruption. According to the Telegraph:

Experts and aviation authorities said the impact of the Grimsvoetn eruption should not be as severe and was likely to mainly affect Iceland.

Gunnar Gudmundsson, of Iceland’s Meteorological Office, said: “I don’t expect this will have the same effect as Eyjafjoell volcano because the ash is not as fine.”

However, they acknowledged that changing weather patterns could sweep the ash into areas where it would affect other countries.

Einar Kjartansson, a geophysicist at Iceland’s Met Office, warned: “If the eruption lasts for a long time we could be seeing similar effects as seen with Eyjafjallajökull last year.”

He added that “most of the traffic at least to the south of Iceland will probably not be affected” but said: “We don’t know what will happen after that.”
The forecast is for winds to clear the ash from Reykjavik and dissipate the problem over the coming days.

Bjorgvin Hardarsson, a farmer in the village of Kirkjubaejarklaustur, close to the latest eruption, described the ash, saying: “It’s just black outside, and you can hardly tell it is supposed to be bright daylight.”

Eurocontrol, the European air safety organisation, said no impact was expected on European airspace outside Iceland or on transatlantic flights for at least 24 hours.

Grimsvoetn, which has erupted nine times between 1922 and 2004, is located in an enormous caldera - a collapsed volcanic crater – five miles in diameter near the centre of the Vatnajoekull icefield.

When it last erupted in November 2004, volcanic ash fell as far away as mainland Europe and caused minor disruptions in flights to and from Iceland.

A spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority said: “It’s early days and we’re keeping an eye on the situation but at the moment the weather patterns are looking pretty favorable.

 
More footage of Grimsvoetn, after the jump…
 

 
Icelandic singer Bjork is hosting a three-day karaoke marathon to draw attention to her country’s natural resources and a possible takeover by a Canadian energy company, the Toronto Sun reports.

The off-beat singer has launched a petition to call for a referendum to stop the takeover of HS Orka by Vancouver-based Magma Energy.

HS Oka produces geothermal and thermal power.

Concerns raised last summer after the sale was made public were put to rest in September, Magma Energy said, after a special committee appointed by the Icelandic government “concluded that Magma acted in full compliance with Icelandic law.”

Even though Magma Energy announced on its website in December is has completed obligations for the purchase of 98.53% of HS Orka, the wire service AFP reported Bjork said “the fight to keep it in the hands of the Icelandic people is not over,” during a press conference Thursday.

On her website, Bjork encouraged people to come to the event and sing their favourite songs.

“Elves, hidden people, sports people, hobby musicians and professionals ... everyone who cares for Iceland, come and join forces and perform a powerful ode to the nature of Iceland,” a press release for the event said, the Iceland Review reported. “Let’s bring our natural resources back to us with song.”

Bjork was set to perform along with other well-known Icelandic musicians.

For more information about the campaign, check here and click English version.  Now, here’s a video, via Icelandic Chronicles, of Bjork singing Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart” at the karaoke, from 6 January 2011.
 

 
With thanks to Norn Cutson
 

 
Beautiful photographs of the Aurora Borealis, taken over Iceland between 2007 and 2010, as the Daily Telegraph reports

Chronological pictures show the cycle of the Northern Lights - which are visibly building up year-on-year towards what is expected to be a spectacular climax in 2012. Icelandic photographer Orvar Thorgiersson, 35, a software engineer from Reyjavik, is on a mission to document the growing annual intensity of the phenomenon. His most recent pictures show how bright the auroras have been this year.

Scientists expect the lights in 2012 to produce a spectacular fireworks display. The event will be caused by the Solar Maximum - a period when the sun’s magnetic field on the solar equator rotates at a slightly faster pace than at the solar poles. The solar cycle takes an average of around 11 years to go from one solar maximum to the next. The last Solar Maximum was in 2000 and NASA scientists have predicted that the next one in 2012 will be the greatest since 1958, where the aurora stunned the people of Mexico by making an appearance on three occasions.

Scientists have predicted that the Northern lights should be visible as far south as Rome in 2012. However, if the 2012 auroras are as big as expected, they could cause disruption to mobile phones, GPS and even the national grid.

 

 
Previously on Dangerous Minds

Beautiful Time-Lapse Photography of the Aurora Borealis over Tromsø

 
More photos after the jump…
 

 
You have to love the fact that a joke political party in Iceland, started six months ago by a comedian, won the most seats during a local election The party, know simply as “the Best” won local elections in the Icelandic capital, Reykjavik, scoring 34.7% of the vote and securing 6 of 15 seats of the city council. The campaign video featured members of the party, including founder Jon Gnarr—now the city’s mayor—singing Tina Turner’s “The Best” (what else?)

From BBC News:

Key pledges included “sustainable transparency”, free towels at all swimming pools and a new polar bear for the city zoo.

The party also called for a Disneyland at the airport and a “drug-free parliament” by 2020.

As well as specific pledges, its video promised change, a “bright future” and suggested that it was time for a “clean out.”

Clearly Icelanders, who have seen their entire economy collapse, get the joke!

Archdruid John Michael Greer’s excellent new article on how the Iceland volcano poked some very large holes in our assumptions about the way things run, and how many of our views on economics are the superstitions of the modern age. Very lucid, clear, direct-to-the-point stuff.

The widespread reaction to the Eyjafjallajokull eruption, for that matter, points up what may just be the most deeply rooted of our superstitions, the belief that Nature can be ignored with impunity. It’s only fair to point out that for most people in the industrial world, for most of a century now, this has been true more often than not; the same exuberant abundance that produced ski slopes in Dubai and fresh strawberries in British supermarkets in January made it reasonable, for a while, to act as though whatever Nature tossed our way could be brushed aside. In the emerging postabundance age, though, this may be the most dangerous superstition of all. The tide of cheap abundant energy that has defined our attitudes as much as our technologies is ebbing now, and we are rapidly losing the margin of error that made our former arrogance possible.

As that change unfolds, it might be worth suggesting that it’s time to discard our current superstitions concerning economics, energy, and nature, and replace them with some more functional approach to these things. A superstition, once again, is an observance that has become detached from its meaning, and one of the more drastic ways this detachment can take place is a change in the circumstances that make that meaning relevant. This has arguably happened to our economic convictions, and to a great many more of the commonplaces of modern thought; and it’s simply our bad luck, so to speak, that the consequences of pursuing those superstitions in the emerging world of scarcity and contraction are likely to be considerably more destructive than those of planting by the signs or leaving a dish of milk on the back step.

(Archdruid Report: Economic Superstitions)

(The Ecotechnic Future: Envisioning a Post-Peak World)

Rokk ?ɬ? Reykjavik is an excellent documentary about the Icelandic post-punk scene in the very early eighties. The film strings together interviews and concert footage from a couple dozen post-punk bands, including ?

Many think Bj?ɬ?rk’s album Debut was, um, her debut album. But it was not. Oh no.

Actually, Bj?ɬ?rk dropped her first jams back in 1977, when she was 11. And it was awesome. The album even charted. She throws down awesome covers of songs like “The Fool on the Hill” in Icelandic to beats that would put Disco Duck himself to shame. I mean, she’s Bj?ɬ?rk. She’s an international treasure. Even the album she did when she was 11 is better than anything most musicians will ever even be able to think about possibly doing in their whole careers.

But oh no, it is not to be heard. For the Goddess of Iceland hath decreed you may not buy or hear it. Apparently she deliberately keeps it out of circulation or popping up in the press. Which is a shame, because it’s a great album, but if that’s how she feels, than so be it, and far from me to suggest that it might be available on the Internet, especially not here. All hail Iceland and its Pixie Goddess.