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  archDSW

SAH Brooks Travelling Fellowship

Final blog post...

8/10/2017

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A Year as the SAH H. Allen Brooks Travelling Fellow: Reflections on Travel, Time, and Technology

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May blog post

8/10/2017

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From Edo to 21st-Century Tokyo: A New 'Floating World'

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April SAH blog post

5/12/2017

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Railroads and Reconstructions: Transportation as a Tourism Conduit in Central Honshu
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March SAH blog post

5/12/2017

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Reclaimed: Sites of Conflict, Industry and Population Change in Japan
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February SAH blog post

3/19/2017

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Cities and Celebrations in Snow: An Introduction to Tourism in Japan
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January SAH blog post

3/19/2017

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Prados and Plazas: Investigations into the Cultural Resources and Key Urban Elements of the Island
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December SAH blog post

3/19/2017

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New Year Interlude: Two Architectural Pilgrimages
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November SAH blog post

3/19/2017

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Scaffolding and a City in Section: An Introduction to La Habana
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October SAH blog post

11/12/2016

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​Connectivity and ‘Green’ Craft: Exploring the Infrastructure and Architecture of the Faroe Islands
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September SAH blog post

11/12/2016

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Fjords and Repurposed Sites: Explorations around Iceland’s Ring Road
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August SAH blog post

9/7/2016

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Take a look at my post, Overcrowded Sites and Unexpected Voids: The Extremes of Tourism in Iceland and the Faroe Islands
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Other images featured in the post:
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July SAH blog post

8/3/2016

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My new post is active: please take a look at: "Museums In and Out of Doors: Curating Art, History, and Nature on the Island." I've had some fun this month making some hybrid photographs, combining historic images from the early 20th century and the present day.  
Other images featured in the post:
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Coastal aerial explorations

7/21/2016

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Concrete, Churches, and Cirrostratus in Reykjavík: An Introduction to Iceland

7/14/2016

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Read my first SAH blog posting. 
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The Blue [and busy] Lagoon

6/30/2016

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A teaser....

The Blue Lagoon from Danielle Willkens on Vimeo.

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Windy boat rides

6/28/2016

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Getting your bearings in Reykjavík also requires acquiring your sea legs. So, over the last few days I've spent quite a bit of time on or near the water. 

Elding, a company that seems to rule the old harbor in Reykjavík, operates a number of tours and general transport in the area. Their employees are easily spotted along the coast due to their bright red 66° North gear and I used the the company for two recent excursions.
 The first trip was one of Reykjavík's most popular tours: whale watching. Departing mid-morning from Ægisgarður pier, we headed into the bay and portions of the the North Atlantic. During the +3 hour ride we managed sighting of four cetacean-species: some Minke whales, a shy Humpback whale, a few of the famously elusive porpoises,  and a big group of very playful white-beaked Arctic dolphins who chased our boat's wake for quite a bit. Among the school of dolphins was a very small calf. To say that our Swedish guide was excited about the calf is an understatement and he guessed that the dolphin was only a day or two old based on its size and close proximity to the mother.    Beyond his contagious enthusiasm for baby dolphins, our guide was spectacular for his encyclopedic knowledge of the area's geography, flora, and fauna. Plus, he could say the names of all the mammals and birds we encountered in at least six different languages. Based on the international composition of visitors on the boat, he was spot on with all of his phrases and pronunciations. 
Although it was sad to leave the peaceful ocean, filled with frolicking dolphins and puffins floating about, my fingers and ears were absolutely frozen so I was happy to return to land for a change of dry clothes and hot coffee.  I wouldn't be surprised if my time here includes a few more Elding-led trips. The company keeps a pretty entertaining Whale diary that is worth reading and it is also worth noting that the tour did an excellent job of illuminating a darker part of the Icelandic relationship with whales: it is one of only three nations with an active whaling culture (Norway and Japan are the other two) and the only nation to have whaling and whale watching occurring in the same waters. 
Visible throughout the harbor and city due to their distinctive shirts, a small group  actively campaigns against the whaling industry and through their work a large number of companies in the city now pledge whale-free operations: they do not sell whale (or puffin) as a 'traditional Icelandic' dish and a number of shipping agencies refuse to transport the whale products. Nonetheless, a few restaurants still boastfully advertise their Minke whale appetizers and I've seen more tourists than I can count digging into one bite then pushing the rest of the plate away. Environmentally reckless and wasteful, all in one course. I'll stick to some traditional Icelandic beer, thank you very much!
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The second trip on the sea was a much shorter one, to the island of Viðey in Kollfjödur. The roundtrip ferry ride to Viðey was included in the Reykjavík City Card, a surprisingly handy pass that can be activated for 24, 48, or 72 hours for access to a wide range of the city's museums in addition to unlimited travel on the city buses…more on that in a later post.

​Although a tiny island, just a short ride from Reykjavik's old harbor, it boasts a rich history: some of Iceland's oldest stone structures stand on the summit and there are two contemporary art installations, the Imagine Peace Tower by Yoko Ono and Áfangar [Milestones](1990) by Richard Serra, both visible in the aerial video below.

The walk around the island was a bit treacherous because of the uneven and slippery gravel paths but I will definitely be taking a trip back to the island again. Rain squashed the first bits of our visit but thankfully the clouds passed and the harbor's famously moody skies returned for my first flight with the drone in Iceland. I've been quite cautious with the drone since my arrival, leery of flying it in exceeding windy conditions and not sure of how the sensors or propellers would respond to the ubiquitous mist. The airspace ban of 1.5km radius from the domestic airport means that much of central Reykjavík is off limits and I'm mindful that Iceland, like most places, is still developing its attitude towards drone use. So, Viðey seemed like a good place for a trial run.
After watching no less than three drones hover quite closely over the crowd gathered in town last night to celebrate the Icelandic team's soccer victory over England, I think I'll be taking Spectre* out to play much more frequently!

2016-06-27 21.10.26 from Danielle Willkens on Vimeo.

2016-06-27 20.56.06 from Danielle Willkens on Vimeo.

*Every piece of personal transportation or ridiculous toy needs a name. My DJI Phantom 4 is named Spectre after its first real flight over the ruins of the fictional town of Spectre from Big Fish (2003), located on the surreal Jackson Lake Island outside of Montgomery, AL.
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Summer Solstice

6/22/2016

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The world is a small, small place. Monday night, at Reykjavik's only microbrewery, I ran into a co-worker from a stint in 2010 with Duke TIP Summer Studies at Trinity University in San Antonio. Tuesday afternoon, while watching people gather in the city center to cheer on their team in the UEFA EURO Group stage we ran into someone from UVA. There were other little bits of serendipity throughout the day and I hope that is an indication of amazing things to come on this trip.
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Wanderings around the capital in my first few days included a great walk through my neighborhood, an amazing spot near the old harbor, full of incredible watermarked boats, the most adorable children's playhouses (complete with crocheted curtains), and winding streets filled with quirky homes and small businesses. There are too many good coffee shops to count (not a problem from my perspective) and a wonderful mixture of tourists and locals, where camera-clad explorers can share a lunch of lobster soup alongside  local dock workers.
Taking advantage of the clear weather on the summer solstice, I went to the western edge of the harbor to capture the sunset, officially registered at 12:03am. There was constant twilight until the sunrise at 2:55am. 
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160621_Reykjavik solstice sunset from Danielle Willkens on Vimeo.

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Planes, [no trains], and automobiles: Iceland arrival

6/20/2016

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In my attempt to get this blog going, here is a quick first post about travels to Iceland:
  • On the flight from ATL to JFK, I managed fist bumps with a year and a half old as well as a glittery coloring session with two small sisters heading to Belgium. They asked me if their outfits looked too American. FYI, the answer was no with the exception of a stellar Elsa backpack; but, everyone loves Frozen, right?
  • I spotted Brett Favre in JFK; apparently former NFLers ride in golf carts through the airport instead of walking with the plebeian flyers. 
  • Delta has adopted a new pronunciation of Iceland's capital: Reykjavik  [rey-kyuh-vich]

From my first jet lagged impressions, Iceland is amazing:
  • the people are beyond friendly and welcoming;
  • the landscape is surreal, even from the brief views experienced on the 45 minute ride from Keflavík International Airport. Check out a few video captures below.

Iceland 6/20 from Danielle Willkens on Vimeo.

Iceland 6/20 from Danielle Willkens on Vimeo.

Iceland 6/20 from Danielle Willkens on Vimeo.

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    About the H. Allen Brooks Travelling Fellowship

    The H. Allen Brooks Travelling Fellowship was established in 2010 by a bequest from noted scholar and architectural historian H. Allen Brooks. It is intended to provide emerging scholars the opportunity to study by travel and contemplation while observing, photographing, writing and sketching, and to acquire knowledge that will contribute to one’s profession and to society. Brooks was an active member and past president of SAH.

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  • Learning Barge
    • Design
    • Photographs >
      • Construction
      • Launch
      • Details
      • All Aboard
    • Videos
    • NEA catalog: Art Aboard!!
    • NEA: Barge cards
  • Photography
    • Arabesque
    • Dynamic Range >
      • Modern Icons
      • Rural Explorations
      • Sacred Spaces
      • Sites of Industry
      • Urban Explorations
    • Figure
    • Patina
    • Seam(less)
    • Threshold
  • Collaborative
    • There's No Time
    • Fabled City
    • Edifice:London
    • UCLoo Festival
    • Selma's Bloody Sunday
    • Selma's Old Depot
    • Woodruff
  • Research
    • Constructions of Ideology
    • Designing a Dwelling
    • Transatlantic Design Network, 1768-1836
    • Digital Mulberry Row Project
    • The Miraculous Image: a photographic pilgrimage
    • Centralized Buildings
  • SAH Brooks
  • Book
  • About