A few years ago we used the term ‘Scandi crime’ to describe crime fiction and TV drama from Scandinavia, but this has now largely been abandoned in favour of the snappier-sounding term Nordic Noir. Perhaps the notion of Nordic Noir is so difficult to pin down, because, like the concept of ‘hygge’, ‘noir’ is a feeling,...
Iceland’s funny loner – an interview with Hildur Sif Thorarensen
When Hildur Sif Thorarensen was getting ready to move from Iceland to Norway she didn’t realise just how much her life was about to change. The 32-year-old had always wanted to live in Norway, and a course in medicine at Oslo University have her the opportunity she’d long been looking for. “I feel like I’m in Iceland...
If pop-culture is to be believed, Iceland – and indeed much of Scandinavia – must have more murderers than anywhere else in the world. Adding to Nordic noir’s already venerable reputation this year’s worldwide release of Icelandic drama, Trapped (Ófærð), further cemented Scandinavia as the hot-spot for crime...
It’s early evening in California and the sun is still shining. Nine hours away, the Icelandic capital of Reykjavik is also enjoying its summer where the midnight sun burns relentlessly. For Reykjavik-born actor Atli Óskar Fjalarsson, the two are both worlds away. Since leaving Iceland to study acting at college, both...
Anyone who remembers adolescence as the best years of their life is a liar, and anyone in need of proof why needs only to watch Sparrows to understand that, put simply, being a teenager really sucks. Sparrows (Þrestir), the latest film by Icelandic director Rúnar Rúnarsson is a meditation on growing up (or refusing...
Iceland’s funny man – interview with Jonathan Duffy
Australian in Iceland Jonathan Duffy aka Jono is taking both Scandinavia and the world by storm with his comedy. On the back of his work at Eurovision, Jono is now penning a memoir about a life less ordinary. He recently took some time out to talk and make us laugh. You started acting at eight years old. Were you a...
Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama has been busy making her way around Scandinavia, with her trademark polka dots adding even more colour to Helsinki. Two temporary exhibitions, Ascension of Polka Dots on the Trees in Esplanadi park and a thousand mirror-surfaced steel spheres, Narcissus Garden in the Winter Garden were...
It would take more than a novel to describe the life of Linda Olsson. The Swedish-born, New Zealand-based writer, who studied law and went on to work in banking, has led what some would call a peripatetic existence since leaving Sweden in 1986 with her family, intending to live in Nairobi for three years. Several...
Mention the idea of a Scandinavian Film Festival to many Scandinavians and you’re likely to be met with a look of surprise. But to Australians, the idea of getting to see movies from the five Scandinavian countries is nothing if not tantalising. Next month, the Scandinavian Film Festival once more makes its way around...
Out of the depths: Interview with Owls of the Swamp
As the man behind Owls of the Swamp, Pete Uhlenbruch’s indie-folk sounds have managed to find their way from Australia all through Europe. Pete recently took some time out to talk to us about his music. When did you first begin performing, and how did Owls of the Swamp come about? I’ve been playing guitar in various...
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