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A visit to Iceland was initiated by Dimitrije Vujadinović in September 2004 with the aim of establishing "a bridge" of cultural cooperation between the Western Balkans and the country that is the most northern outpost of Europe. As a guest of the Actavis Company, he took a number of films by Balkan authors to show at the Nordic Panorama Festival. Thanks to the foundation BalkanKult, friendly cooperation has developed between Serbian and Icelandic artists.
"I arrived to Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland, on a Jat flight from Belgrade via Copenhagen", says Dimitrije Vukadinović, president of BalkanKult in Belgrade. "My first encounter with this country was fascinating. In the dark we approached an illuminated Reykjavik and my attention was immediately drawn by an unusually large neon sculpture – an installation by the famous Icelandic artist Ruri."
The capital Reykjavik is also the largest city on Iceland. Its population is nearly 120,000 out of a total of 300,000 Icelanders. The country's economy is concentrated in the capital, the seat of government administration of this country at the northern-most point of Europe, south of the Arctic circle, whose shores are washed by waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Northern Sea. Iceland is a member of the United Nations, NATO, EFTA and OECD but is not a member of the European Union.
"I became aware of the unusual nature of this volcanic island that is constantly pulsating with potential outbursts when I visited it for the second time within the activities of our cultural cooperation", says Vujadinović. "I saw parts of Iceland that cannot be approached by car. In the central part are glaciers, where you can only come by airplane or in sledges, as there are no standard roads or railroads. After seeing all that, I was fascinated by how sparse nature is there. In some places I felt as if I were on some other planet, Mars perhaps, due to the dark rocks made of hardened volcanic lava and the lack of any vegetation. They say that is where American astronauts prepared for their first flight to the Moon. Other parts of Iceland, covered only with moss, reminded me of remote periods on Earth when the first signs of life appeared. The flora in the coastal belt is so low that they have a saying, 'If you get lost in the Icelandic woods, just stand up.' Plants grow up to your knees."
Icelandic waters, its clear and rapid rivers, represent exceptional natural wealth. Especially precious are its thermal waters whose temperatures sometimes reach 60-70 degree Celsius. "Tourists can often be deceived", says Vujadinović, "They get their fingers scorched when they put them into the spring just to test the temperature. That is why warnings are placed at many sites. Water in geysers constantly pulses and then suddenly surges as a high jet."
"The most attractive site for tourists is Blue Lagoon due to its beauty and the healing properties of its waters." The sea is abundant with fish. And along the seashores run pastures on which a special breed of horses is bred, which were brought a long time ago from other parts of Europe but which have now fully adapted to this environment. Reindeers were also brought here from other lands. Indigenous fauna include a sort of sea parrot puffin, Fratercula, and a northern grouse ptarmigan, Lagopus mutus, from which Islanders make tasteful dishes.
"The curiosity of Iceland is the spot where two continental plates, the European and American, join or drift", says Vujadinović. "This fissure grows up to two centimeters annually, indicating full drift in some future geological period."
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"Everyone who visits Iceland especially enjoys placing one leg on the European continental shelf and the other on the American continent. To remind readers, Jules Verne was inspired by this environment for his novel Journey to the Center of the Earth. He describes the departure of Professor Liedenbrock to Iceland, from where he sets out on his journey to the interior of the Earth."
As regards Icelanders, Vujadinović finds them to be a most extraordinary people who have preserved their clear Viking origin through their language to the present day. They still read their old sagas from the 11th and 12th centuries in the original language. Icelanders also cherish with a passion their musical scene that covers a repertoire from the time of the sagas (the Viking period) to modern pop forms, alternative rock, jazz and folk music typical of their world-famous artist Björk. |
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Icelanders, like all Nordic peoples, have a special relationship towards modern design, blending tradition with contemporary expression. And, according to Vujadinović, although their design is perhaps less known than the design of their Scandinavian counterparts, in its quality it equals Swedish or Finnish design. Vujadinović especially points to the art of designing fish skins by Arndis Johans Döttie, a true "magician" in making various objects from this material – jackets, bags, shoes, bracelets, functional vessels, tapestries, key pendants…
"Their art is rebellious", believes Vujadinović. "They are not 'marketflattering', but they create artistic esthetics based on their own principles. That's why they are successful."
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Cooperation between Iceland and Serbia
As of 2004, cultural cooperation between Iceland and Serbia, established through BalkanKult, has brought the two nations closer and has contributed to a better understanding of art created from both countries. The event Days of Iceland in Serbia was held in 2005 in Belgrade, Novi Sad and Zaječar. The following year Serbia was presented in Reykjavik in a similar event. During this period Iceland has had the opportunity to be introduced to filmmaker Goran Paskaljević (through a retrospective of his films), cembalist Smiljka Isaković, art photographer Aleksandar Kelić, writer Vladislav Bajac and they learned about Felix Romuliana from Bora Dimnitrijević. At the same time, the book by the famous Icelandic writer Sjön, Bird's Milk, was translated into Serbian, while exhibitions in Serbia have featured Icelandic design, film, and most recently, the Graphic Workshop FFA in Belgrade hosted Icelandic artist Vlegerdur Hauks Döttir.
These are only some details of successful cultural cooperation that is continuing… | | 
