As part of the Nordic fashion Biennale, there is a conference on : Fashion Concious: A conference on fashion, design and sustainability, today from 9.30 to 12.30 in the Nordic House (Alvar Alto-house). Speakers are four very clever women: Ann Thorpe, professor and author, Kristin Vala Ragnarsdottir, professor, Karin Stenmar (DemCollective) and Malin Eriksson (Clean Clothes). See more info below and on the nfb web

Turning Conscience into Activism by Ann Thorpe

Ann Thorpe has spent the last several years living in the United Kingdom, where she taught product design and sustainable design at the University College of the Creative Arts and currently teaches at the Bartlett School of Architecture (University College London). Prior to this, she worked in the United States with architects and designers in the Pacific Northwest to increase activities in sustainable building and product stewardship. During this time she served as co-chair of the US Green Building Council’s Cascadia Chapter and participated in collaborative eco-redesign projects with Northwest companies such as Microsoft and REI. She has lectured and published widely on the topic of sustainable design.

Transparency as a keyfactor for growth- by Karin Stenmar

It is possible to combine good design with ecology, ethics, quality and profit making! (more…)

Today at lunch-time, from 12-13, in the Open artUniversity, at Skipholt 1, room 113, Anne Thorpe will talk about how her work in sustainable design led to her current investigation of activist forms of design practice. She will present a few of the results from her ongoing study of hundreds of cases of design activism over the past few years. She will show examples of design activism from across design disciplines and across activist causes, such as accessibility, humanitarian aid, ecology and community empowerment. She will offer some insights on how we can better understand and thus enable design as an activist practice. Thorpe, the author of The Designer’s Atlas of Sustainability (Island Press, 2007), teaches and researches sustainable design in the fields of product design and architecture at Bartlett School of Architecture at University College London and at the Open University. She has lectured widely on sustainable design. The Designer’s Atlas of Sustainability : http://www.designers-atlas.net blog: http://designactivism.net

Today, at the Nordic House in Reykjavik, there is a lecture on fashon and sustainability, by Karl Aspelund. The lecture is in english. Free Admission. See detailed program on: http://nordicfashionbiennale.com

The Nordic House in Reykjavik, Iceland, is proud to announce that it will be hosting the first NORDIC FASHION BIENNALE from 19.3 to 05.4.2009.

Launching the event in Reykjavik is no coincidence, as this year’s focus will be on outstanding fashion and jewelry from the West-Nordic nations: the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Iceland.

This year’s main event is “In Front of Creativity”, a design exhibition featuring the cream of West-Nordic fashion selected by curator Matthias Wagner K from Berlin. His selection demonstrates the influence of nature, art and society on West-Nordic designers. This includes the choice of materials, colors and form.
Highlights

Highlights at the NORDIC FASHION BIENNALE include the Icelandic Design Days, during which the Nordic House will be filled with Icelandic fashion design, showrooms and parties.

Other events will include a conference on sustainability in the fashion industry, a seminar on future cooperation between West-Nordic fashion designers, and inspiring talks from successful Nordic designers such as Gudrun & Gudrun from the Faroe Islands. In addition, a photo exhibition will take place on Nordic Street Style at the Biennale-pop up-Bar where other events such as talks, Fashion-Cinema and Marketplace will also be held.

In Front of Creativity, NORDIC FASHION BIENNALE, is a forum for professionals as well as a cultural festival for city-dwellers and visitors. This is the place for inspiration and critical thinking.

The Nordic Fashion Biennale website is now open and will be updated regularly with media material as well as information about the event and speakers.

For further information please contact Ilmur at info@nordicfashionbiennale.com

The house of the National Museum, recently renovated

Today at 12.00 there is a lecture in english on green opportunities and local possibilities, at the National Museum of Iceland (beside the University), in the lecture-room on first flour. The lecturer is the danish Leo Christensen that has for the last ten years lead an evolution towards sustainable local communities in Danmark: On how they transformed the crisis situation into a growing process. He’s got an international attention for his work, for ex. in the New York times recently. It’s theLocal Agenda 21 in Iceland (from the Rio convention) and the Association of Environmentalists in Iceland that organise this lunch-lecture.

the research center is specialised in limnology

The University of Iceland Research Station in Hveragerdi, which has now recently been closed, has published great stuff on water researches and environmental researches, see for example, a report on the Aquatic fauna in Iceland, and pictures archives on the river Varma, which is a unique river of hot spring water and cold water.

Voilá, fragment from the film Náttúra Summer 2008

with a kind permission,

The Icelandic environmental documentary Nattura–Summer 2008 will be released exclusively on iTunes on March 10/ Today (One Little Indian) via an exclusive digital distribution partnership with E1 Entertainment Distribution U.S. The film focuses on the current environmental issues that face Iceland and includes interviews with Björk along with many other well-known Icelandic figures. All proceeds from the documentary will benefit the Nattura Campaign.

Directed by Charlie Lightening, Nattura–Summer 2008 focuses on the proposed plans to increase the use of aluminum smelters as a means to harness Iceland’s natural energy. As an alternative to these industrial practices, the documentary offers innovations and attempts to reinvigorate a larger discussion and debate on these key issues. In addition to Björk’s commentary, the film features interviews with well-known Icelandic politician and environmentalist, Ómar Ragnarsson, as well as Andri Snaer Magnason. Magnason is the author of the award-winning, best-selling book, Dreamland: Self-Help Manual for a Frightened Nation, which offers a detailed critique of the Icelandic government’s current energy-harnessing practices.

The documentary continues Björk’s close involvement with the Nattura Campaign, which was founded in an effort to generate alternative, sustainable and eco-friendly ways to utilize Iceland’s natural resources. In Björk’s own words, “It is now more important than ever before to emphasize a respect for nature…I believe that profits, technological advances and working together with nature can all go hand in hand. None need to be sacrificed at the expense of the others.”

For more information on the documentary and the Nattura Campaign please visit www.nattura.info or www.bjork.com.

ICELANDIC ENVIRONMENTAL DOCUMENTARY
NATTURA–SUMMER 2008 OUT MARCH 10 ON iTUNES

The Reykjavik art museum by the harbour. Free admission. Interesting exhibitions.

In the HAFNARHÚS, the Reykjavik art museum, by the harbor downtown, there is a lecture in icelandic but english discussion is open. Designer Karl Aspelund observes the design process in respect of the importance of cooperation of people in different environment and in different fields focusing on innovation. The lecture is on THURSDAY 12 MARCH 8 PM

Karl Aspelund teaches at the University of Rhode Island in USA and is currently working toward a Ph.D. at the University Professors Program at Boston University. His research interests revolve around the interplay of apparel design and a community’s self-image. For his doctoral dissertation he will examine the state and nature of national dress in modern-day Iceland. The lecture is a joint project of The Design Centre of Iceland and Reykjavik Art Museum. The lecture is in Icelandic and open to all.

See more infos on the Reykjavik Art museum

The Nordic House designed by Alvar Alto

Friday 6th of March at six: time for green networking at the Nordic House, situated close to the University of Iceland. For this occasion, Náttura.info is working on a visualisation, a kind of mapping of the grass-root: of environmental associations and conservation institutions.

Green Drinks is an international, informal networking event where environmentally minded people can connect over drinks. It started in London in 1989, it is now active in 448 cities worldwide; from Johannesburg to Manila, Hyderabad to Istanbul. At Green Drinks you will find an interesting mixture of people from academia, NGOs, government and businesses.

Other cities have found the event a catalyst for connectivity, community, collaboration and change in the environmental sector. Although Green Drinks is an organic, self-organising network, many people have found employment, made connections and friends, and developed new ideas.

March 6th 2009 will be Reykjavík’s first Green Drinks. Norænna Húsið will host the event at 18.00 and will have a selection of organic wine and beer for sale. Please check Reykjavík’s page on www.greendrinks.org for details on future events.