FIELD TRIP
Report: Reykjavik after work hours
Soundtrack
Musical Postcard from Reykjavik ↗
(whatever was playing around me)
WorkN1 →
BackgroundI had just started working on a visual direction for N1 (an Icelandic energy, fuel, and service station company). The brand concept I was working on was all about how life isn’t just about getting from A to B, but about the moments in-between.
Then my boss asked if I wanted to work from the Reykjavík office for a couple of weeks.
I hesitated. But worst case, I get a little lonely? A little bored? Being bored in Reykjavík actually sounded kind of intriguing. So I said yes. Curious to explore whatever excitement and boredom Reykjavik day-to-day life had to offer.
PACKING
Gear
Dusted off my pencil case. Borrowed by brothers camera. Also brought my scanner. It’s my favourite toy.
LUGGAGE
Delayed
Luggage got delayed 48 hours.
MUSIC
Soundtrack
At first I wanted to make a playlist with only Icelandic artists. That didn’t really work. Felt too forced. Instead I just started shazaming whatever I heard around me. Didn’t care much about genre or structure. Made sense at the time.
The cover images are snapshots taken around the time and place I heard the music. Became a musical postcard I sent myself. A way to remember what was going on around me.
❶ Dart brake at the office
❷ Locker room at Hvammsvik
❸ Fish soup at Hvammsvik
❹ Hot dog at Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur
❺ Roadside drink at Hornid
❻ Poster spotted in the toilet queue at Hornid
❼ Secondhand shopping at Spúútnik
❽ Shooting hoops with Dagur and Gunnar
❾ Plane home
DOG
Pollux
With limited experience keeping a dog happy (and alive), I also looked after my boss’s dog, Pullox. It took us a few days to get in sync, Pullox knew what he was doing. I didn’t. So I binge-watched a dog show.
We walked an hour and a half to two every day. It was nice. I genuinely enjoyed his company. I was never alone. Literally. Ever.
PEOPLE
Locals
Anton got me a very nice magazine on our way to Kaffi Laugalækur for drinks and doodles. Hulda had the coolest fish pencil case.
Dagur lent me his BA research book about Icelandic letters. More of his work ↗
Agga sent me an important meeting invite: for her, Una, and me to see Sunna Dögg Ásgeirsdóttir’s exhibition Scent in 2D at Gallerí Grótta, and eat at Raðagerði, a cute pizzeria by the water.
Björn gifted me a beautiful icelandic wool sweather.
GROCERIES
Bónus
Bought groceries at Bónus. The big pink pig is kinda ugly, but kinda cool. For cheap groceries, it was good. Ate breakfast in the greenhouse with Pullox. Felt wholesome.
ART
Ásmundur Sveinsson
Went to Reykjavík Art Museum. The ticket got me into two other locations, so I hopped on a scooter to Ásmundarsafn an hour before closing. It was my favourite.
Ásmundur Sveinsson designed, lived, and worked in the house. The exhibition was called Wonderland, his work shown with contemporary artist Halldór Ásgeirsson.
HOT SPRINGS
Hvammsvik
Boiled myself in the hot springs. Ate boiled seafood after. It was refreshing.
WORK
N1
The N1 project shifted direction. Not every idea makes it to launch, that’s part of the reality. The work still shaped my trip, and I learned a lot along the way.
More of the proposed N1 work →
THOUGHTS
P.O.V
Turned some thoughts around.
BOREDOM
Thoughts were circling, so I followed.
NATURE
Findings
Picked stuff while walking Pullox. Dragged across my scanner, pressed, and labeled it in icelandic and latin.
ROAD TRIP
Solo
StrókurGullfossÞingvellirOn my last day, I went on a solo road trip. Snorri at the office gave me an insider tip. To go a little later in the day, with the midnight sun, it would still be light, and almost no tourists.
I watched Strókur explode into the air.
At Gullfoss, the wind blew the mist in my face. At Þingvellir, I stood where the American and European continental plates meet.
It was gray and raining, but I didn’t mind. I listened to the music I’d collected over the weeks and sang along in the car as I drove.
FIELD TRIP
Report
Taking moments to let my thoughts drift off and make things without an end goal felt like a luxury, and time well spent.
Key takeaway: Boredom, followed by curiosity, can take me to some unexpected places.
MORE TO UNBOX
Ida Louise Andersenunder construction
© 2025