1. S t u c k i n a v o l c a n i c limbo
a t G a r d e m o e n airport
Thinking about my p r o j e c t . . .

2. N e v e r g o i n g h o m e again....
a h o b b i t s n i g htmare
I can´t get home to Iceland. I h a v e b e e n
trying for 8 days now....%& $ # . A n d i t
doesn´t look like I´m going any t i m e s o o n .
Back and forth to the airport e a r l y e v e r y
day... not getting a flight for day s a n d d a y s
and then finally getting a flig h t t o O s l o
just to get s t u c k t h e r e .
I have taken my freedom to t r a v e l f o r
granted.
Think a volcano on a little r o c k i n t h e
middle of the Atlantic Ocean c a n c r e a t e
this situation. And why the hell d o p e o p l e
actually live there when they c o u l d l i v e
in.... (trying to find a ver y s a f e a n d
predictable place).. . . G e r m a n y.
But most of all it´s a harsh re m i n d e r o n
how isolated Iceland really is. W h e n f l i g h t
is gone there is no way of gettin g t h e r e . . . .
Boat maybe...we have one ferry t h a t g o e s
between Denmark and Icelan d n o w a n d
then...stopping in Shetland and T h e F a r a o e
Islands. Not a good choice for m e h e r e i n
Bergen with already paid for flig h t t i c k e t s .
Maybe I could sel l a k i d n e y.
This is such an unusua l s i t u a t i o n .

3. T h e w i l l t o change
I see a strong will with people i n I c e l a n d
to change the current situation, u s e r e c e n t
events and experience and start s o m e t h i n g
n e w.
This is reflected in blogs , f a c e b o o k
statuses, conversations with f r i e n d s a n d
family and people I have met u n d e r w a y s
doing my diploma r e s e a r c h .
People have had enough.They pr o t e s t , t h e y
vote, they actually put up a fig h t , f o r t h e
first time in a l o n g t i m e .
Icelanders have lived happily o n a l i t t l e
white cloud letting somebo d y e l s e i n
control while they comfortably e n j o y e d t h e
ride.
Cloud...ride... airport t a l k , s o r r y.
The media paints a black pic t u r e o f t h e
current situation and you he a r e n d l e s s
stories of people who lost every t h i n g , h o w
negatively Iceland is depicted ov e r s e a s a n d
how dim future prosp e c t s a r e . . . .
Shame on y o u m e d i a !
Crisis times are quite wonder f u l . . p e o p l e
nag about everything being expen s i v e , t h e y
think about what to use their m o n e y o n . . .
they buy an older car. . t h e y k n i t .
I see the situation today as a n a m a z i n g
opportunity to s t a r t f r e s h .
Mistakes are to be learned f r o m , n o t
regretted.

4. B u t s t i l l . . . t h e y come.
In a matter of days I went f r o m b e i n g
asked “wow, Iceland, cool, I ´ v e a l w a y s
wanted to go there, is n ´ t i t v e r y
expensive?” to “how is it o v e r t h e r e
now, how is your family? Did t h e y l o o s e
much?”.
And I answer... nope...they di d n ´ t l o o s e
that much...well my mother lost t h e m o n e y
she had been saving from her cl e a n i n g j o b
the last 14 years...a little sum p u t a s i d e
every month..But she and dad s t i l l h a v e
their house and are do i n g g o o d . .
14 years...
Wow what a changed situatio n . Yo u c a n
almost physically feel the ide n t i t y c r i s i s
Icelanders are going through. F o r s o l o n g
Iceland has been the place t o b e . . . y o u
went there because it was the coo l e s t p l a c e
to be.
And now like so many times b e f o r e w e
stand poor, unemployment on t h e r i s e b u t
wait...the tourists are still co m i n g ? A l l
year around even and more of t h e m t h a n
before.....does anybody like u s a f t e r a l l ?
An tourists...they spend lots o f m o n e y
(desperatly needed at the mo m e n t ) a n d
most of them have a good tim e a s w e l l .

5. A g o o d p l a c e t o stay?
The Icelanders are using their sp a r e t i m e i n
the recession to cuddle and ma k e o u t a n d
it is showing in population num b e r s . T h e
population is growing even if 4 6 0 m o r e
Icelanders moved from the coun t r y t h e n t o
the country in the first quarte r o f 2 0 1 0 .
But at the same time aroun d 6 0 m o r e
foreigners came to live there th e n l e f t t h e
c o u n t r y.
And why do they come to st a y a n d t h e
Iceland e r s l e a v e ?
Let´s not wallow in too much se l f p i t y a n d
remember there are places that a c t u a l l y a r e
worse off tha n I c e l a n d .
But even if the low income j o b s t e m p t
a litte more than before, the I c e l a n d e r s
prefer to travel abroad to find w o r k m o r e
suitable for their e d u c a t i o n .
But welcome welcome new tax p a y e r s ! We
need more people to pay off our d e b t s a n d
we welcome you! You´ll get a very nice
low rent apartment and we´ll help with
finding a job....!

6. T h e m i d l i f e c r i s i s of bad
p l a n n i n g , w h a t ´ s next?
The fact of the matter is th a t I c h o s e
working in Iceland for very ver y p a t r i o t i c
reasons. I hate what´s happe n i n g t o m y
country and how Reykjavík ha s b e c o m e .
I´m a small town girl but I l i v e d i n
Reykjavík for 7 years. It´s c l e a r l y t h e
place the recession h i t h a r d e s t .
The Greater Reykjavík area i s q u i t e b i g
and travelling around in a very s m a l l w h i t e
car I found a lot of places tha t c o u l d b e
interesting to w o r k w i t h .
Suburbs are struggling with h a l f - b u i l t -
ness. Not enough people live in t h e n e w e s t
suburbs to support schools an d p l a n n e d
infrastructure, there is no mone y t o f i n i s h
houses, and the people already l i v i n g t h e r e
can´t sell their houses and ma n y c a n n o t
pay off their sky high ho u s e - l o a n s .
The city center was becom i n g a h u g e
business area with luxurious a p a r t m e n t s
for those who could afford to l i v e c l o s e
to their luxury jobs. A lot was t o r n d o w n
to make way for new and most o f t h e t i m e
this was done very fast withou t a s s e s s i n g
impact on nearest sur r o u n d i n g s .
It was here I found my lo v e l y s i t e s .

7. 1 0 s w e et sites.
My focus is on 10 sites in the c i t y c e n t e r.
I discovered them by walking a r o u n d a n d
it is very visible that these are s p a c e s t h a t
have been affected by the build i n g s t o p i n
one way or the o t h e r . . . . . .
They are easily travelled betwe e n o n f o o t /
bike/rollerblades/w h e e l c h a i r.
These spaces are of all shapes a n d s i z e s ,
built, halfbuilt,unbuilt and b y w a l k i n g
between them you travel th r o u g h v e r y
different areas, from large ope n a r e a s b y
the sea, through the denseness o f t h e s m a l l
housed center, to open gaps i n a m i x e d
neighbourhood and to the m o n u m e n t a l
Höfðatorg, a planned glass build i n g s i t e i n
the busine s s d i s t r i c t .
I want to use these sites to mak e a d i v e r s e
program for the people o f t h e c i t y,
inhabitants as well a s t o u r i s t s .
They would form a new conn e c t i o n t h a t
takes you from the old city to t h e n e w e s t
part dealing with different c h a l l e n g e s
alon g t h e w a y.

8. A n d t h e c a t ch is....
Well there´s no money right now t o f i n i s h
off what was started or to build s o m e t h i n g
n e w.
G R E AT !
Then I can do all my imaginat i o n i n v i t e s
me to do! Goodbye world of th e r i c h r i c h
Greymen, welcomed wor l d o f O l l a .
This is the time to create somet h i n g n e w. .
Post 08Crash -Revival- Ar c h i t e c t u r e .
There is material lying all ov e r t h e c i t y
waiting to be claimed. Rec y c l i n g a n d
making use of existing m a t e r i a l a n d
buildings has been very ab s e n t i n t h e
architecture of the past f e w y e a r s .
I´m going to make a scenario t h a t s h o w s
just how fantastic this city rea l l y c a n b e .
It went way to far in one directi o n . T h a t ´ s
done. It´s now a part of the city ´ s h i s t o r y.
In the next days I´ll present m y s i t e s a n d
show what I´m dea l i n g w i t h .