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The Friendship Tapestry Premier Exhibition The Art Festival, Gullkistan Laugavatn, Iceland. June 17, 2005 through July 3, 2005 The Art Festival begins June 17th, the Icelandic national holiday and ends on July 3rd 2005. About 150 artists (not including the 200 or so artists who have participated in the Friendship Tapestry) are participating in the festival that will fill the small town of Laugavatn. Laugavatn is about 1 hour drive East of Reykjavík, between the two most popular sights to see in Iceland; Ţingvellir and Geysir. One whole schoolroom is set aside for the Friendship Tapestry in Laugavatn´s High School. (This school, as many schools around the Icleandic countryside, is a hotel during the summer.) We display the tapestry on one wall and some of your letters and loving, friendly words on another one. There will also be some pleasant surprises that I will talk about later. If you have not sent your work yet, you still have time! You don´t have to be afraid that your piece will arrive too late. All the pieces that arrive in Iceland, even though they arrive after the Art Festival starts, will be incorporated into the Tapestry. Every work that arrives will be a part of the Friendship Tapestry project! I will keep updates here on the website, before and during the festival, so that everyone can enjoy the fun! So, watch the website! If you have any questions or comments, remember our e-mail adress: friendshiptapestry@internet.is June 1st
I am having so much fun
these days! Lots of pieces coming
in every day! And many things to get ready before the display at the
Art
Festival at Laugavatn. And the pleasant treat of meeting two of our
Friendship
Tapestry friends! One is Susan Batross, from South Dakota and the other
one
Gail Shast from New Jersey who travelled with her husband Greg Shast.
We all
met at my house for coffie and of course to see the tapestry pieces. It
was
such a treat for me to see the friends behind the pieces. We had a good
time
talking and laughing and enjoying each other´s company.
On the picture is Gail to
the left, me Rags in the middle and Susan to the right.
June 4th 2005
We started assembling the Friendship Tapestry today! It will look amazing!! First we cut and made the backfabric ready, then we layed down all the 200 pieces and rearranged them many times until we were ready to start putting the threads through the backfabric, for tying the pieces together. Here is a photo of three very serious ladies, dedicated to make each piece look it´s best!  on the picture are: me Rags on the left,my friend Lára and my sister Rannveig on the right. June 5th
We started tying the pieces
together at noon. It took all day and we were almost halfway through.
We tried several methods, no one had any experience doing this, do you?
haha ... so we just invented some styles of working. Here are
some samples:
Lára holds the end up and me and mom Ragna, try to see with our hands:  Underneath, tying all the friends together and keeping that thought in mind and heart while working:  Then we tried a new way:  This is my mom working underneath :  more to come, we are still working.... June 6th
My friend Jóhanna Harđardóttir came today and we worked on tying the friendship pieces for a few hours. We can see now that the work will be finished one day...  June 7th
It has been raining for two day but we didn´t notice, the sun was shining in our hearts, while working with all the hope, and love in the pieces. When we finally looked up we saw the trees smiling at the flowers, who smiled back, they could appreciate the rain, after weeks of being too dry. My mother and I worked on tying the friendship around the world together.  you see
there is
plenty of space for the pieces that are still on the way. We rolled up
the tapestry around a thick bundle of towels and "bubble-plastic", to
keep it all safe. The black, back fabric is the kind that is used in
theaters as a background. It does not reflect any light and is very
strong and good to work with. There was some curious beings around us, while we worked  Punktur wanted to know what "daddy" was taking so many photos of.  We also got a visit from two ducks that thought they could help. But I am not keeping you any longer: The Friendship Tapestry is assembled!! All the 202 pieces from over 20 countries in five continents, together in friendship. Each piece is filled with love, peace and friendship. There is also sorrow but with hope and many memories. These pieces have so much to say. The energy around this tapestry is really healing.  Isn´t it gorgeous!?!! Each piece has it´s own story, a woman´s (and man´s) life, her family and friends. The Friendship Tapestry is now 4.80 meters (almost 15feet) long and more pieces to come. Now it´s "only" working on the computer, with paper and the finishing touches, before the exhibition. Remember The Art Fstival Gullkistan, June 17th - July 3rd at Laugavatn, Iceland. I will keep updates here in this diary... June 10th
The last few days have been
very
busy. And so much fun! Many people are working on the preparations
together. On the pictures are my sister Rannveig working on the final
touch of the tapestry and Halla Harđardóttir making binders for black
and white pictures of all the pieces, with names, country and words.
So, people can know who did what piece.
 I am writing and translating, there are all kinds of things to think about before an exhibition. Today I will be finding and choosing things for a collage. I want to have pictures, postcards, pieces of letters and words, fabric, envelopes with stamps, allkinds of things connected to the Friendship Tapestry. But more about that later. Everything is going well, with so many people helping and adding even more friendship energy in the tapestry project. This is a time I will remember all my life... June 11
What a glorious day Lárus
and I
spent at Laugarvatn. The sun was shining and it was a warm and
beautiful day. Children were playing in the water and the grown ups
resting on the shore after a few minutes in the hot spring steambath.
Families were walking together through the town, hurrying to eat their
icecream before it melted. The fragrance of the birchtrees filled the
air and the birds were singing "thankyou´s" towards the sun and artists
were all over town getting ready for the Art Festival Gullkistan. Mt.
Hekla, our most active volcano was watching the whole scene from the
distance. What a beautiful day we had.
 This is Laugarvatn seen from the road between Ţingvellir and Laugarvatn. The white houses on the picture are Menntaskólinn á Laugarvatni; The Highschool at Laugarvatn, where we will display the Friendship Tapestry. June 12
Today we all worked hard on finishing the last things for the exhibition. It was a good day, my house was full of people working and we all had a great time. the tapestry itself is ready. Some of this and that is almost ready and will be before Friday.  Four generations have been working for the Friendship Tapestry: from left; my mother Ragna, Rannveig my sister, her daughter Guđrún Elín and Guđrún´s daughter Elísa. All of them happy and smiling after a good days work. June 13
On this Monday of June 13, we hung up the Friendship Tapestry at Laugarvatn. I have to tell you, it looks gorgeous!! It was hard to leave it behind... all alone. But the people working at the Edda Hotel are so nice and promised to look after it for us. The highscool at Laugarvatn is, like many other schools around the country, a hotel during the summer. I was so relieved to find the people working there being so helpful and nice. On June 16, I will be going back to make the last arrangements and hang up the rest of the things that we want on display. Here is a picture of my husband Lárus, checking to see if we can use the computer in the schoolroom. The Internet connection will be ready on the 16th, so I can be in touch with you all during the exhibition. Our son Ástráđur is admiring the tapestry on the wall, while resting after a good days work. We made a kind of livingroom with doilies on the tables, to welcome new friends that will visit the tapestry.  And me doing some last minute fixing.  I know, you want to see a better picture of the whole thing on the wall. But no, not until on the 17th! practice your patience until then! It has been a busy week. We
have
all been working on getting everything ready for the exhibition. Things
are going well, we will be ready tomorrow!
Here are some pictures from this week:  Guđrún
Elín is
getting help from her daugther Elísa My
daughter Sirrý
Margrét and her friend Smári working Lárus
always
working on something or otherMany friends and my whole family have been working hard to make this happen. I want to thank you all, both you that made and sent pieces, full of love, talent and friendship, and you who helped in other ways. Hugs and kisses to you all; THANK YOU!!! And now we are ready for the exhibition tomorrow at one o´clock, June 17th at The Art Festival Gullkistan, Laugarvatn Iceland! |
