Harvesting Desolation

July 19, 2003 1:18 PM

Bleak photography of deserted farms in Iceland (farms? Iceland?) is what photographer Nokkvi Eliasson specializes in, and this gallery (one of two - here's the other) showcases some of his best stuff.
posted by jonson (14 comments total)

(farms? Iceland?)

Iceland is green. Greenland is icy.
posted by jpoulos at 1:40 PM on July 19, 2003

I became intrigued with Iceland after reading Halldor Laxness' Independent People (highly recommended!) for a Scandinavian Lit course. In 1991, I spent three weeks travelling around Iceland, and it was easily the most beautiful, varied landscape I have ever seen (and its people among the friendliest I've met). If you ever get the chance to visit (you can often arrange to stay for a few days if you're flying to Europe via Icelandair), by all means do so...it is a place you will not soon forget.

Great link, jonson!
posted by filmgoerjuan at 2:02 PM on July 19, 2003

The formatting makes it look exactly like a realty website. Heh. There are great photos in his other galleries, too. Thanks, jonson.
posted by eddydamascene at 2:36 PM on July 19, 2003

Amazing shots. I've long wanted to do the Reykjavik Marathon, if for no other excuse than I'd have a reason to finally visit the place.

I too have heard what filmgoerjuan mentioned, that if you fly Iceland air to Europe, the stopover departure from Iceland is often open ended. So a 4 hour stopover can become a 3-4 day layover for no cost.
posted by mathowie at 3:05 PM on July 19, 2003

Looks like someone has been scouting possible locations for future Dog Soldiers sequils.
posted by Trik at 3:33 PM on July 19, 2003

Very interesting pix...they look like still photos from some sort of European director's movie.
posted by davidmsc at 3:39 PM on July 19, 2003

Gorgeous pics. Thanks for posting this link.
posted by spacewaitress at 4:43 PM on July 19, 2003

Trik, I immediately thought "this guy probably saw 'The Wizard of Oz' at a very early age" but anyway, those are beautiful pics.
posted by 111 at 9:43 PM on July 19, 2003

More information about the Icelandair stopover policy.

You can add up to three days in Iceland to either your outgoing or return flight. Not enough time to really explore the country, but you can certainly tour the Reykjavík area: take a dip in the Blue Lagoon, see the stunningly beautiful Gullfoss waterfall and the world's very first parliament at Þingvellir. All well worth seeing!
posted by filmgoerjuan at 10:11 PM on July 19, 2003

Nice post jonson! I love the farm photos - his other portfolios are worth checking out too.

filmgoerjuan, thanks also for the links & info. I considered doing this once when flying to Amsterdam but just didn't have the time. I will have to make it a priority!
posted by madamjujujive at 7:06 AM on July 20, 2003

For those interested in seeing Iceland on film, including scenes in deserted farms, Friðrik Þór Friðriksson's amazing Children of Nature is a great example.

Please ignore the cheesy cover on IMDb used for the American release of this film. Shot by talented Icelandic cinematographer Ari Kristinsson (Cold Fever) and scored by Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson, and featuring a cameo by Bruno Ganz as the angel from Wim Wender's Wings of Desire, it's the haunting, melancholy story about a farmer and his one-time sweeheart, now both elderly, who turn their backs on the people's home and decide to visit, before they die, the distant farm where they grew up. Road (and sea) movie, social criticism and a philosophical, sometimes symbolic commentary on age, memory and love, it's a beautiful heartwrenching little film, if you can find it.

For a very different Icelandic film with tangential themes, in particular about the slow collision between "old" and "new" Iceland, there is Baltasar Kormákur's (101 Reykjavik) The Sea.

And no, I'm not from Iceland, surprisingly enough.
posted by gentle at 3:37 PM on July 20, 2003

Looks like someone's been playing around with IR film and red filters. Pretty pictures, but gets old quick.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 2:17 AM on July 21, 2003

Lovely, thanks.

(Funnily, I saw this somewhere else before checking this post... thanks jonson :) ).
posted by plep at 12:50 PM on July 21, 2003

May I also recommend Death of the Dream: Farmhouses in the Heartland. This is a site I produced for a PBS documentary inspired by photographer and essayist William Gabler's beautiful book of classic midwest farmhouses. It gave me a new appreciation for my ancestors and the land.

Also, I totally love 101 Reykjavik.
posted by Dok Millennium at 12:45 AM on July 30, 2003