Tag: reykjavik

Wednesday Window – pt 37

Another playful exploration of the architectural aspects of the magnificent Harpa Concert Hall of Reykjavik

After last week’s lighthearted window reflection selfie, I’m continuing the study of the amazing Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavik. It might feel a bit indulgent to enjoy the magnificence of the architecture, but I just can’t help myself. The striking design of the Harpa, with its geometric shapes and dynamic interplay of light, never ceases to captivate me.

There are many photography opportunities throughout the entire building, beckoning both amateur and professional photographers alike. Although I might not do them justice the way my good friend, George Fellner, does, I’ll share another one here. George has an incredible eye for the architecture through his compositions, and his ability to capture the essence of a structure is truly inspiring.

The ceiling is definitely my favorite subject in the overall Harpa oeuvre. It allows for lots of playful exploration of angles, surfaces, reflections, colors, and lights. Each time I look up, I see something new – the way light dances across the textured panels, creating a kaleidoscope of hues that shifts with each passing moment. It’s a remarkable experience that invites contemplation and creativity, making every visit feel fresh and exciting. I find myself continually drawn back, eager to discover new perspectives to share, and to further appreciate the exquisite craftsmanship that makes Harpa a standout gem in Reykjavik’s architectural landscape.

Escalation

This particular angle, and interplay of lights, dark, mirror, and captured reflections gives me a sense of an old-time video game, where the protagonist hops from one block to the next avoiding hazards and gathering points. The vivid contrast between the warm glows and deep shadows creates a nostalgic atmosphere, reminiscent of pixelated graphics and simplistic yet engaging gameplay mechanics. Each jump across the precarious platforms feels like a thrilling challenge, as the main character cleverly dodges enemies and navigates through intricate levels filled with secrets and surprises. This representation not only evokes fond memories of childhood gaming but also invites me to reminisce about the excitement of discovering hidden treasures, all while competing for the highest score in a vibrant, digital landscape.

This is my mid-week contribution to the Monday Window thread, a creation of Ludwig Keck. To read more about Ludwig, check this page.

Wednesday Window – pt 36

Today, we go for a lighthearted offering of a joyful selfie taken during a photography tour in Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik.

After just over a week of the return engagement on my blog, I’m beginning to hit my stride and having some fun with the posts thus far. The process has been both invigorating and enlightening as I’ve revisited my work and sought new angles to explore. I’m working my way ahead a little bit for the Wednesday Window series; after looking through a good amount of my shots from the 2022 photography trip to Iceland, there lurks a series of images of Harpa Concert Hall to be featured over time. Each photograph captures the stunning architectural design and the vibrant interplay of light that the building is known for, presenting an exciting opportunity to share not just visuals, but also the stories and experiences behind them. I look forward to weaving narratives that complement these images, drawing readers into the atmosphere of Reykjavik and the striking presence of this cultural landmark.

For today’s featured image, I present you with something lighthearted and rare in my collection: a selfie that captures a moment of pure joy and spontaneity…

A Harpa Selfie!

Walking around this magnificent architectural structure, if one pays close attention to the reflection in the south-facing facade, a spot can be found that mirrors the viewer in one of the lower windows. Of course, this is a lot easier to find in the presence of an experienced photography tour guide, such as Loren Fisher! Our little group huddled together, enabling me to capture this particular moment. As you can tell from the facial expressions, we enjoyed the contrast of this instance of levity to our ‘serious’ photography (maybe not so serious). It’s great to have fun in everything that we do!

This is my mid-week contribution to the Monday Window thread, a creation of Ludwig Keck. To read more about Ludwig, check this page.

Wednesday Window – pt 23

With this Wednesday Window we’re back at the Harpa Concert and Convention Centre in Reykjavik, Iceland.

After last week’s Wednesday Window taking a look into a lovely holiday tableau, I thought it would be interesting to take a view to the outside. Now, I didn’t want to take a rather obvious approach of looking out through a window. Rather, I was thinking about a bit of indirection.

Here’s this week’s view…

Harpa Loft

We’re looking at the ceiling interior of the Harpa Concert and Convention Centre in Reykjavik, Iceland. They very cleverly made the ceiling an art installation through the pattern, which reminds me a bit of the Q*bert game from the 1980’s. The windows in this image are reflected by the ceiling, allowing us to look outside on a rather overcast day.

Harpa is an astonishing work of architecture, which is filled with interesting bits to photograph. Hope you enjoy this one!

This is my mid-week contribution to the Monday Window thread, a creation of Ludwig Keck. To read more about Ludwig, check this page.

Wednesday Window – pt 14

The Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavik features a stunning façade with more than 700 embedded LED strip lights, which create a visual art installation at night.

We’re back at Reykjavik’s Harpa Concert Hall and Convention Centre.  There is much more to Harpa’s intriguing facade than the collection of windows of different types of glass. Artist Olafur Eliasson led the facade design and created a massive art installation! In last week’s post we covered the dichroic glass and the interesting colors that this provides. This week we go into the dark side of Harpa!

Here’s an image from the video below…

Harpa at Night

There are more than 700 LED strip lights embedded in the building’s façade, each approximately 1.5 meters (4.6 feet) long. Each fixture is incorporated into a slim aluminum extrusion, specifically designed to match the geometry of its specific quasi-brick glass and mounted to the rear vertical profile of the steelwork. This placement avoids overwhelming people inside the foyer with too much light, while offering the best diffuse and indirect light distribution. The fixtures’ optics are composed of a series of filters, diffusers, and lenses and were developed for the project in collaboration with lighting manufacturer Zumtobel.

Harpa’s Night Art

This video shows a short segment of the windows changing colors. As it was rather windy, I have removed the audio.

Much appreciation to Architect Magazine for their September 17, 2012 article titled Harpa-Reykjavik Concert Hall and Conference Centre.

This is my mid-week contribution to the Monday Window thread, a creation of Ludwig Keck. To read more about Ludwig, check this page.

Wednesday Window – pt 13

The Harpa Concert Hall features a unique glass facade with ten different types of glass, including three dichroic varieties that reflect vibrant colors during the day.

After last week’s reception of the Harpa Concert Hall and Convention Centre, I’ll reprise this amazing structure with a bit of a detail view. One of the unique features of the glass facade is that it provides bits of color. Yes, there are a large number of same sized panes of glass. No, that doesn’t mean there is no variation.

Here’s a more detailed look…

Harpa Details

There are 10 different types of glass used across the building’s facades, including three dichroic glasses. These dichroic glasses are yellow, green and orange, so that they reflect blue, red and purple. These create a nice touch during daylight hours, as you can see in the image.

Next week, I’ll focus on the night time view, which is thanks to the efforts of artist Olafur Eliasson.

This is my mid-week contribution to the Monday Window thread, a creation of Ludwig Keck. To read more about Ludwig, check this page.

Wednesday Window – pt 12

We explore an aspect of Iceland’s renowned Harpa Concert Hall and Convention Centre in Reykjavik; a truly inspiring visual gem!

In this episode we’re going back to Iceland and a specific building in Reykjavik that is a photographer’s dream. The Harpa Concert Hall and Convention Centre is an amazing and award-winning structure by the city’s waterfront. The shapes that are created through this amazing glass-clad environment are eye-catching both from the outside and the interior.

Today, we take a look from the exterior…

Harpa Windows

A myriad of windows adorn the facade, which becomes even more interesting at night, as colors play across them (might be a future post). Just imagine the approach that was taken to construct such an outer shell. From any angle, there are visual stimuli that interest many photographers and will keep us coming back to experience the views under different light and weather conditions.

This is my mid-week contribution to the Monday Window thread, a creation of Ludwig Keck. To read more about Ludwig, check this page.

Wednesday Window – pt 10

Walking along the streets of Reykjavik is always a great experience. Interesting sights abound, whether architecture, color or bicycle.

This week, I’ll feature another moment in Reykjavik. This one is also from August of 2022, during a guided tour along wonderful streets. Reykjavik is certainly ripe with a great set of walking streets, filled with interesting architecture, murals and color. And, then, sometimes you catch something a bit unusual.

Of course, unusual is in the eye of the beholder…

Parking Space

When housing is a bit on the smaller side, one finds room for a bicycle wherever is convenient! In this case, the balcony is a perfect location. It also makes for a bit of an unusual sight, which suits me just fine!

For more interesting windows of this week, please visit Monday Window; you won’t be disappointed!

iPhone Friday

After a delightful meal in Reykjavik, a post-dinner walk provided an opportunity to capture the city’s charm even in February.

The best camera is the one you have with you! This holds true, especially when taking an after dinner walk back to the hotel. That was very much the occasion on this evening after a wonderful meal. More about the meal in a bit…

Here’s one of the photos from that walk in February of 2024…

A Reykjavik Evening Walk

Despite it being February, the temperatures in Reykjavik weren’t that extreme, as you can see in this image. Reykjavik was on the list for the tail end of our 10 day trip to Iceland, just to unwind and have some amazing food.

The food. On this evening I found a table at a relatively new restaurant, named Brút. The food was simply stunning with the perfect balance of ingredients in each course, and no shortage of creativity. The vegan Pavlova that I had for dessert was a masterpiece that has not been topped anywhere! Highly recommended! My prediction is that they will soon be the fourth restaurant in Iceland with a Michelin star.

Wednesday Window – pt 9

The post reflects on the beauty From 2022, a stunning sunset reflection, featuring a ship, bicycle, and the Harpa building.

You probably noticed that strolls through various cities produce a nice variety of window images. This week is no exception to that pattern, and it’s among my favorites!

Here we go with something to reflect upon…

Sunset on the Harbor

I captured this image during a stroll in Reykjavik in 2022, as I was captivated by the powerful reflection. The color of the sunset in all its rich hues and the contrast of ship and bicycle stood out to me. Getting such a combination of subject elements is just irresistible!

Oh, and the building providing this reflection is stunning as well! It is Harpa! You can expect more photos of this building in future Wednesday Window posts.

For more windows, please check out Monday Window for this week; it’s a great place to explore!

Monday’s Portfolio Musing v2.11

Themes are emerging in my search for a coherent portfolio. Here we visit Holavallagardur in Reykjavik to explore one theme.

I definitely feel that I’m making progress in bringing more organization to my portfolio, as categories are defining themselves and themes are emerging.

The emerging themes are not a complete surprise, as I know of my predilection towards images that give a sense of lonely struggle with a bit hope of beating the odds and elements. While this is a bit broad brush, my favorite landscape images are not those that portray a beauty, but rather those rugged ones where you can see yourself persevering.

In a more urban setting this often translates to a draw towards cemeteries…

Lighting the Way

This image is from the new graveyard in Reykjavik, Hólavallagarður; new, as it was established in 1838, as the one that had been used since Viking times didn’t serve the needs of the growing city.

For me a walk through a cemetery is restful and provides a sense of connection with those who have gone before; older cemeteries are my preference due to their portrayal of the history of the area and giving some idea of how people approached both life and death. Memento mori is a great reminder to all of us.

When I saw the lantern hanging above the grave, it provided me with the idea of lighting the way to the great beyond, which is a theme throughout millennia of civilizations. The Egyptian Book of the Dead, the Bardo Thodol in Buddhism and crossing the Styx in Greek mythology are examples that spring to mind. We, the living, want to make sure that the dead find their way to a good place in the great hereafter.