December 2011
1 post
Happy holidays
Happy holidays and a happy new year from all of us in Birkiland.
November 2011
1 post
Exhibition: Metamorphosis in Hafnarborg
Metamorphosis (Hamskipti) is a exhibition of collaboration between Hildur Yeoman , fashion designer and illustrator and Saga Sigurðardóttir, photographer. They’re installation will be based on the ideas they use in their work in fashion. The exhibition opened on 29th. of October. More
October 2011
2 posts
"Looking back to find our Future" on NFB in... →
September 2011
7 posts
Vík Prjónsdóttir around the world
Vík Prjónsdóttir will be around the world this fall, taking part in many beautiful exhibitions, events and festivals.
During the Frankfurt Book Fair, where Iceland is the guest of honor, will vík Prjónsdóttir take part in an exhibition called Randscharf | On the cutting edge | Design in Iceland. The exhibition will open the 22. of September 2011.
Vík Prjónsdóttir will participate in the event,...
New product in Birkiland: Gibbagibb
The idea of the Gibbagibb hanger came from her grandfather, Jón Stefánsson in Möðrudalur, who was a farmer. In her memory her grandfather made many inspiring and ingenious household items from antlers. Hulda has developed her idea further and now markets her brand Gibba gibb.
No two hangers are identical since Hulda uses real antlers in her design. The hangers are made from lamb antlers and...
Nordic Fashion Biennale in Seattle
The 2011 Nordic Fashion Biennale will be held this fall at the Nordic Heritage Museum in Seattle from September 30 to November 13. Nordic Fashion Biennale is being produced by the Nordic House, Reykjavik and the Nordic Heritage Museum. The highlight of the Nordic Fashion Biennale is an exhibition, Looking Back to Find our Future, curated by New York-based Icelandic artist Hrafnhildur...
Exhibition: Landscape in a Box
Katrín Ólína, an Icelandic product designer, just opened her first solo-exhibition in Denmark on 26th. of August 2011. The exhibition is named Landscape in a box and is specially made for LYNfabrikken in Aarhus.
August 2011
6 posts
Endless Longing, Eternal Return
On the occasion of Iceland’s invitation as guest country at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2011, the Frankfurter Kunstverein presents the first major solo exhibition in Germany of Ragnar Kjartansson (born 1976). The exhibition comprises more than fifteen video works, image series and installations of the past ten years by the well known Icelandic artist whose six-month-long continuous performance at the...
Icelandic Contemporary Design in Tallinn
The travelling exhibition, ICELANDIC COMTEMPORARY DESIGN, was first opened in Reykjavik 2009 is now placed in Tallinn in Estonia from 17. August - 4. September 2011. Read more about the exhibition on Iceland Design center.
You can read an interview with the curator of the exhibition her.
WatchNature in Design | Hrafnkell Birgisson
Hrafnkell Birgisson is an Icelandic designer that studied both in Saarbrucken and Berlin. His focus is mainly on grass root projects that stem from a wide spectrum of proctuct design. Hrafnkell lives and works in Copenhagen, Berlin and Reykjavik.
Products designed by Hrafnkell Birgisson: Tools you bake, Hoch die Tassen and Hoch die Teller
Watch
WatchÓlafur Elíasson is one of the best known artists of his generation.
Erró was popular in Paris
In the April issue of The Art Newspaper a list over most visited exhibitions in art museums all over the world in 2010 appears. Erro exhibition in Pompidou musuem in Paris, 17. February - 24. May, is on the list and was the third most visited exhibition in the Pompidou museum with 3.302 guests each day, or 271.707 guests overall.
July 2011
7 posts
KALDA and Iceland’s emerging fashion scene
Melissa Emerson recently spoke with designer Katrin Alda Rafnsdottir who with sister Rebekka co-owns fashion label KALDA. The label was founded in Reykjavik in 2010. Reykjavik, a name not often cited in fashion vocabulary, is in fact the capital of Iceland: a beautiful natural wonderland which is in part enclosed by the Arctic circle. See more
New: Healing hands by Vík Prjónsdóttir
The Healing Hands comes from the hands of the Alaskan shaman on the Hidden World blanket, also designed by Vík Prjónsdóttir. Vík Prjónsdóttir was fascinated by the shaman costume and his hands that heal and drive out evil spirits. See More
© Vík Prjónsdóttir. Photos: Marinó Thorlacius
Icelandic architecture in NY Times →
HOFSOS, Iceland — Even in Reykjavik, the cosmopolitan capital of Iceland, there’s no escape from the elements. Beyond sleek towers overlooking the harbor is the hint of mountains, their outlines hazy in the glow of the midnight sun. On the clearest July day, glaciers float on the horizon.
New in Birkiland: Wing by Vík Prjónsdóttir
Birkiland is proud to present the Wing, a scarf from Vík Prjónsdóttir. The Wing comes from the Shield of Wings blanket, also designed by Vík Prjónsdóttir, and is inspired by the Sea Eagle, which boasts a wingspan up to 2,5 meters. Wearing the wing is supposed to put you under the eagle’s protection. See more
© Vík Prjónsdóttir. Photo: Marinó Thorlacius
New product in Birkiland: Hoch die Teller
Hrafnkell Birgisson has worked a lot with used porcelain saucers and cups that are reclaimed from European flea markets. The various saucers and cups tell the history of European porcelain making. First came Hoch die Tassen, second hand cup on a wine stem, and now comes Hoch die Teller, saucer on a glass vase.
SASA CLOCK, designed by Þórunn Árnadóttir
The Sasa Clock aims to bring the benefits of ancient African concepts of time to our modern lives. Rather than being dominated by time, it encourages us to relax and let time flow. “Sasa”, in African Kiswahili culture, means “What is now”.
The time is read from the color coded necklace. Each bead represents a 5 minute increment. As the wheel turns, every 5 minutes a...
June 2011
1 post
Helicopter - Summer 2011
Helicopter is a new high street fashion label from Reykjavík, Iceland. The brainchild of designer Helga Lilja, helicopter’s main goal is to create comfortable, yet sexy clothing both for everyday and evening wear. Helicopter’s designs aim to emphasize the natural and beautiful curves of the female body. Helga Lilja is a graduate from the Icelandic Academy of the Arts. She worked...
May 2011
1 post
Harpa Concert Hall open for business
The opening concert of the Harpa Concert Hall was held last night and this concert going to be a monumental event in Iceland’s cultural history. Two of Iceland’s most admired classical musicians performed together for the first time: Vladimir Ashkenazy shared the stage with the exceptionally gifted young Juilliard graduate, Víkingur Heiðar Ólafsson.
Finally this beautiful concert hall...
April 2011
1 post
Hoch die Teller by Hrafnkell Birgisson
Hrafnkell Birgisson has worked a lot with used porcelain saucers and cups that are reclaimed from European flea markets. The various saucers and cups tell the history of European porcelain making. First came Hoch die Tassen, second hand cup on a wine stem, and now comes Hoch die Teller, saucer on a glass vase.
March 2011
6 posts
Street Map Cutting Board is Both Functional and... →
Just saw this new item pop up at my favorite Icelandic design shop, Birkiland. The Nordurmyrin by 7-9-13 Design Group is a meat cutting board designed to mimic the streets of an actual neighborhood in east Reykjavik.
Handbags from Hidden Good are back in stock
Hidden Goods, launched in 2008, is a creation of the designer Hrafnhildur Gudrunardottir, a graduate from the fashion department of the Iceland Academy of the Arts in 2004. Hrafnhildur is inspired by historical and cultural references and this first handbag collection of Hidden Goods is inspired by circus life of the nineteenth century and its mysticism.
The Hidden Good’s handbags have been out...
The Reykjavik Grapevine Design Awards: And the... →
The Reykjavik Grapevine, the local English language newspaper, just handed out the first annual Design Awards. And the winners are…
DesignMarch, some highlights of the festival →
DesignMarch 24.-27.03 2011
DesignMarch is a four day design festival in Reykjavík featuring an extensive and impressive programme where a profusion of events, stimulating lectures and exhibitions reflect the diversity of Icelandic design and architecture.
See more about this event here
Exhibition: Gunnar Magnússon ’61 – ‘78
An exhibition devoted to the Icelandic designer Gunnar Magnússon and his domestic furniture was opened in Museum of Design and Applied Art on the 11th. of February. Gunnar Magnússon was born in 1933 in Olafsfjördur in the North of Iceland and studied furniture design in Copenhagen in the early 1960s. He is one of Iceland’s most prolific furniture designers and also created numerous interiors...
February 2011
2 posts
Icelandic Contemporary Design in Stockholm →
Völuskrín is back in stock
Birkiland is happy to announce that Völuskrín is now finally back in stock. See more here.
December 2010
4 posts
New in Store: Gray Sheep's Tie with pattern
Now we have a new color of the Sheep’s Tie by Herra Mókollur in Birkiland. The Tie is knitted using wool from the Icelandic sheep and totally produced in Iceland. Check it out here.
Fighting Spirit: Reykjavik Fashion Festival →
“Two years ago in October, Iceland went bankrupt with all the usual fallout: depression, homelessness and unemployment.. Since then, Iceland and its people have been fighting to stave off corporate takeover and some are doing it, literally, with Style”
Dates announced for Reykjavik Fashion Festival →
“There’s a whole world of fashion out there though, other smaller pockets of the globe producing creative talent way beyond the benchmark that the boarders of our bubbles would have us believe. Iceland is one.”
Northern Light: Iceland's Creative Revolution →
Dazed TV present a documentary about how the young generation of a country ravaged by the economic crisis and the threat of corporrate takeovers are fighting back
November 2010
5 posts
Interview with a designer: Fridgerdur
Fridgerdur Gudmundsdottir graduated as a product designer from Iceland Acadamy of the Art in the spring 2009. In her designing she focuses on simplicity and practicality. Her graduation project is called Studlar and came into being in collaboration with packaging department Oddi Printing. We asked her few questions to get to know a little bit more baout her.
1. What is your favorite moment of...
PLEASE BEWARE OF THE BEARDHEAD
Vík Prjónsdóttir is a brand built on honesty. It´s the brand’s passion to use local material and have the production locally to support the community. Sadly, it seems that honesty can be a difficult for some people and thats the case with the people behind the fake brand Beardhead. These people have copied Vík Prjónsdóttir’s Beardcap, started a company and are selling it around the...
Vík Prjónsdóttir: Exhibition in Copenhagen
Shft & THIS ISSUE will open an exhibition today with Vík Prjónsdóttir on Blågårdsgade 14 in Copenhagen, from 15.00 until 21.00.
See entire show with Jónsi in 4 min and 36 sec
Jonsi is now on a tour around the world, supporting his new album Go. On Jonsi’s official website you can find this amazing timelapse video of entire show, check it out here.
Nordic + Common Ground: Art and Design Unfolded
In Scandinavian House in New York just opened the exhibition Nordic + Common Ground: Art and Design Unfolded. It’s an exhibition organized by Norsk Form in collaboration with The American-Scandinavian Foundation. All of the Nordic countries are represented.
Representatives of Iceland are Bjargey Ingólfsdóttir with bara Design, the product designers Fanney Antonsdóttir & Dögg...
October 2010
10 posts
New in Store: Nordurmyrin by 7-9-13 Design Group
Nordurmyrin is a meat cutting- and serving board designed by 7-9-13 Design Group.
It draws its name from a neighborhood in the old east of Reykjavik. Its street names are named after renowned characters in the old Icelandic sagas. When meat is cut on the board the blood juices rush down the streets. It refers to the conflicts that arose in the societies of the second and third generations of...
New in Store: Swan by Hildur Yeoman
Swan is an elegant and playful bag designed by Hildur Yeoman. The bag is hand crochet and takes the form of a swan. See more here.
Hildur Yeoman the designer of the Swan, wants to create a fantasy world. a world that is beautiful, magical and seductive. Read more here.
Katrin Sigurdardottir at the Met
Yesterday opened Katrin Sigurðardóttir an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum in New York. She has created two site-pecific sculptural installations for the Museum’s series of solo exhibitions featuring the work of contemporary artist at mid-career.
“Entitled Boiseries, installations are full-scale interpretations of eighteenth-century French rooms preserved at the Metropolitan Museum, one...
Minarc won the R+D Awards for RUBBiSH
Minarc, a design studio operated by two Icelandic architects, Erla Dögg Ingjaldsdóttir and Tryggvi Thorsteinsson, won R+D Awards for the recycled rubber sink, RUBBiSH.
Minarc is an award-winning design studio, based in Santa Monicea, that specializes in modern, innovative and sustainable architecture and design.
Gardar Eide's exhibition: Power has a Fragrance
Gardar Eide Einarsson, a Norwegian artist, will open an exhibition in Reykjavik Art Museum – Hafnarhus on 21st. of October. He’s influenced by street art, skateboarding, punk music and of course a lot more. He lives in Tokyo, Oslo and New York.
In recent years Gardar has caught international attention and his work is well represented in collections and exhibitions worldwide.
The exhibition will...
New product in Birkiland: Stuðlar by Friðgerður
Stuðlar designed by Friðgerður Guðmundsdóttir is a new product in Birkiland. Friðgerður graduated as a product designer from Iceland Academy of the Arts in the spring 2009. In her designing she focuses on simplicity and practicality.
Stuðlar came into being as collaboration between Friðgerður and packaging department Oddi Printing. The object was to find a way to mass produce Icelandic product...