Photo credit: M. Ciavardini
The Brawny Sherpa and I are fortunate to be introduced to Iceland at a new exhibition at the Katonah Museum of Art in Katonah, N.Y. Over watermelon and vodka cocktails, we become acquainted with Icelandic art—dark, bright, volcanic, a little crazy. That’s what a nation that features nine months of winter a year will do to you.
In between viewing the installations and figuring out what our Icelandic surnames might be based on the artists whose work we view (I think I would be Lori Carolesdottir), we watch a short film, Iceland: The Fire Within (2014) by Eric Heimbold. In 15 minutes or so, we see summer, winter, water, blue ice, waterfalls, northern lights, ponies, volcanoes, grottoes, serene-looking people, and slamming snowstorms. We are grateful to have met the filmmaker, who wishes us luck on our upcoming, wintry trip to Iceland.
Photo credit: M. Ciavardini
We leave exhilarated and waiting to experience the real thing. If you can’t get to Reykjavik soon, head to Katonah instead.
—Lori Tripoli