Dularfulla búðin

Dularfulla búðin er nýjasta verkefni mitt hún mun opna á Akranesi í maí 2017 Dularfulla búðin verður fyrsta og eina gufupönk miðstöð á Íslandi. Hönnunin er öll í Viktoríönskum ævintýrastíl. Listaverk eftir þekkta gufupönk listamenn ásamt endalausum sögum um dularfull fyrirbrigði þessa heims og annars. Vörur og veitingar, sýningar og skemmtun, fyrirlestrar og fræðsla. Hugmyndin fékk styrk frá Uppbyggingasjóði Vesturlands nú á dögunum upp á heilar milljón krónur. Það fé verður notað til að koma upp fyrirtæki, vefsíðu (www.dularfulla.is & www.themysteriousshop.com) ásamt vinnu við að fá húsnæði og aframhaldandi styrki eða fjárfesta.  Einnig hefur Vinnumálastofnun styrkt verkefnið um laun til 6 mánaða til að vinna að eigin viðskiptahugmynd. Dularfulla búðin er fjöllistahús í gufupönk stíl. Allt það sem Steampunk listamenn hafa takið sér fyrir hendur er komið á einn stað. Sýningar, tónleikar, safn, fyrirlestrar og ýmislegt fleira. Dularfulla Búðin opnar í maí 2017

Útlagastjórn Bíldalíu

Heimurinn handan - þar sem óþekktar furðuverur búa ásamt svokölluðu Huldufólki og vættum - Heimurinn handan eða The Otherworld var uppgötvaður fyrir þremur árum. Fyrir einskæra tilviljun, eða samhangandi atburðarrás opnaðist rof inn í aðra vídd eða heim samhliða okkar. 

Hópur vísindamanna fór af stað til að rannsaka þetta fyrirbrigði og komust að því að samskonar "gloppur" í efnisheiminum fyndust víðar í heiminum. Í Kákasus, í Himalayafjöllunum, Washingtom fylki í Bandaríkjunum og hér á Íslandi. Aldrei fyrr hafði nokkrum tekist að opna þennan heim og hvað þá að ferðast yfir í gegn um þetta rof sem hafði myndast. Vísindamennirnir reyndu að hafa stjórn á rofinu til að geta opnað og lokað því að vild. 

Eitthvað hefur farið úrskeiðis því nú síðastliðið sumar gerðir sá ótrúlegi atburður að heimurinn handan opnaðist upp á gátt með leiftrum og ljósum. Jörðin skalf og leiftrin blinduðu fólkið. Þegar þessar hamfarir loksins hættu var Bíldalía horfin, allar byggingar, fólkið og allt það sem þeim tilheyrði. 

Ég lenti sjálfur í rofinu og í langa stund var eins og rafhlaðinn eldur umlyki mig.  

Svo var allt hljótt.

Aðeins við, þessar örfáu hræður stóðum eftir.

Um stund héldum við að við hefðum lent himumeginn. Í heiminum handan. En okkur varð síðan ljóst að Bíldalía var horfin og við erum hér eftir. 

Þjóð Bíldalíu samanstendur af álfum og mönnum. Við erum jöfn, þó við sinnum mismunandi hlutverkum í samfélagi okkar. Eitt skal yfir alla ganga og við berum byrgðar okkar í sameiningu. 

Við höfum ekki í nein hús að venda nema að sækja um hæli hér á Akranesi og við vonum að okkur verði vel tekið. 

Við munum að sjálfssögðu reyna að samlagast nýju samfélagi en vafalaust munum við lita samfélagið með háttum okkar og fatastíl en óttist eigi, við erum jú öll tengd á einn eða annan hátt og getum lært hvort af öðru. 

Við höfum sett á fót útlagastjórn Bíldalíu í sendiráði Bíldalíu í Sandvík sem er á Vesturgötu 77 hér á Akranesi. 

Allir sem vilja fræðast og vinna með okkur eru velkomnir í kaffi, te og til skrafs og ráðagerða. Við erum jú allaf upptekin, en aldrei svo upptekin að geta ekki tekið á móti vinum. 

Bíldalía lifi !!!

-Þjóðsöngur Bíldalíu-

Bíldalía, Bíldalía

Ber við himinn, há.

Bildalia Bildalia

blikar yst við sjá.

Skjól við fjallsins rætur.

Bjartar sumarnætur.

stjörnum prýddir vetur

í norðurljósadýrð.

Í hafinu speglar sig himininn hár

Bíldalía, Bíldalía, Bíldalía.

Weekend at Steamposium Seattle

At panel about Steampunk in Iceland

Three times in one year have I travelled to the States to participate in steampunk conventions. Steamposium last year, Steampunk World Fair NJ this spring and now back to the Steamposium Seattle sept. 25-25
Meeting people, performing, and listening to other performers. It is amazing and I became humble sensing the love and enthusiasm people have for this wonderful thing called Steampunk.
Steampunk brings people together who never under any circumstances would meet or get to know each other.
My task at the convention was to introduce Iceland and steampunk in iceland, the Steampunk Iceland festival and the group that has kept it going three years in a row.
I also performed some of my music
https://ingimaroddsson.bandcamp.com and introduced Bildalia, the fictional kingdom that serves as a playground for the Steampunk Iceland festival.
At Steamposium there were lots and lots of panels, lectures and introductions which we don't have in Iceland. Each convention is different and and that is exactly why it is so necessary for us that manage conventions to travel around an see what we may learn.

This weekend was as the Americans so often say, Awesome. Thank you for having me I had the best time.
There are conventions and festivals all over the world from Oamaru in New Zealand to Bildudalur in Iceland. We cannot visit them all but every year one or two. About 36 conventions and festivals. The Icelandig festival will probably take place in Akranes next year, only 20 minutes from the capital Reykjavík. It takes 7 and a half hour to fly from Seattle to Keflavik airport and one hour to Akranes. We hope to have guests from all over but the Steamrats of Seattle will have special welcome.

Back to Seattle Steamposium 2016

I have been invited to take part in the fabulous Steamposium Seattle convention for the second time.
So far Seattle has been my favourite and I look very mush forward to host the masquerade ball and meet up with other artists.
I will of course be performing songs from my album Ravenblack https://www.facebook.com/140612951950/videos/10153429020761951/ and I will bring CD's and Books with me along with gifts from the Kingdom of Bildalia ( bildalia.com )
September 23 - 25 dress up with wonderful friends

Steampunk World Fair

It's time to pack my gears and take the flight to New York tomorrow. We will stay at The 1910 House in New Jersey, hopefully shop a little and meet up with lost relatives.
Mai 13 to 15 The Steampunk World Fair.
I will be performing friday 13th at 9 pm and saturday at 10 am Courtyard stage.
http://spwf2016.sched.org/event/936f88e7e8b63bdb462c8c776b1df56b#.VytK-pN4W9o.facebook

I got the CD with me
https://ingimaroddsson.bandcamp.com

Then all I need is to find good steampunk clothes to spend on, meet some fabulous people and enjoy the biggest Steampunk event in the world.

Ravenblack

It's about TIME

Finally my first full album us out and the result is somewhat a "dark circus" feel. This might be the sound of Steampunk in the future … at least my next one :-)
The music and lyrics are played an sung by me and I also made the look/design for printing.
I have had help from various artists. Margrét Arnardóttir played the accordion in Come closer to me, Time and Mr E Novell. Þorgils Björgvinsson played the guitar in Just want to be with you and Einar Rúnarsson played the Hammond organ in Just want to be with you, Elfsong, What have I done and Let me in. Ásmundur Jóhannsson played all percussion and Jóhann Ásmundsson played all bass.
The music was recorded in Studio Paradis and mastered by Johann and Ásmundur.
Drawings and background effect in the booklet was made by Guðný Þorsteinsdóttir and the original photo on the cover was taken by Kyle Mortara. The photo on the back was taken by Jón Önfjörð and the one on the poster I had made for special friends.

https://ingimaroddsson.bandcamp.com

Ravenblack - New album

For the last five years I have been composing music under the influence of Steampunk.
Since Steampunk is not fully formed as a musical genre, I am taking part in developing steampunk music along with all the steampunk musicians in the world.
The wide variety of music styles under the steampunk umbrella, from Dr. Steel and Professor Elemental to Unwoman, From Abney park to Steampowered Giraffe or Victor Sierra simply cannot be put into one category.
In the end there probably will be a Steampunk music style, formed and categorised like all other music genres in the past. But what will it be eventually? Does it need to be categorised?
Many musicians I know want to be free from "the box" and make their own music without putting it into one style. In Iceland we have had many successful self-created artists that have been pathmakers for others.

I decided to make Steampunk music and keep it to the Steampunk style, trying to find the sound, the style and the experience.
At first I used sampled instruments and sounds that imitated the 19th century instruments but I was never fully satisfied with it.
After a while I made the music as simple as I could with only a guitar and the voice and the outcome is the first Steampunk CD in Iceland.
https://www.karolinafund.com/project/view/1163
For each song I've chosen a guest instrument to add more character to the music and hopefully I am on the right track.
I have already made enough songs for my next album but this one is somewhat more precious to me as for how long it took to create.
Now I am founding the production of my album at the Karolina crowd funding site and today I spent in a recording studio and for the next three days we are going to be recording the songs, mixing and adding icing on the cake with various instruments.
Next Sunday I will release the first song fully mastered at my Bandcamp site and youtube.
This is the life :-)

Steampunk all the way

For many years I've been dressing up and decorating my home in a steampunk influenced way. I have called it costuming and a hobby. But unlike my interests and hobbies that have gradually faded away my interest in steampunk has grown over the years. Costumes became clothes and I started to make music, writing books and interacting with steampunk enthusiasts all over the world.

Steampunk is not only a retro-futuristic science fiction, it has so many variables that to the unfamiliar it is almost impossible to explain it thoroughly.
Steampunk has become a lifestyle of many people, the way to live, dress, eat and behave. But to the outside spectator it might look ridiculous and confusing. A victorian era fiction or a sub-genre of cyberpunk won't help anyone to understand.
In my view Steampunk is a culture that has grown above its predecessors and evolved in to a world of its own. It is intercultural, technological, free thinking, creative and individual.
The true aesthetics of the world we had left behind is back and the dreams of the most creative thinkers have come true.

We had a talk, me and Sigga, my fiancé. -Are we really going to continue this lifestyle and take Steampunk all the way? It means giving away all the clothes we never were, building our own Steampunk house, modify the furniture, steampunk the car and live happily ever after?

But of course!!
-Are we willing to sacrifice our every day dullness and be awesome every day of the year?
But of course !!

I have been working on a project for some years called the kingdom of Bildalia. It is a fictional kingdom in the westfjords of Iceland.
In a village called Bildudalur we have had an annual steampunk festival where the village turns into the kingdom of Bildalia for one week.
Bildalia has its own flag, a national anthem, its own currency, passports, army and king, queen and aristocracy.
This happens during the Steampunk Iceland festival and next year it will be in june 20 to june 26 2016 This isn't a very large festival, about 400 people attended at its highest peak 2014 But it has become an example to the rest of the Steampunk community of what can be achieved and how to make a festival into an ongoing story and create a stage for a live action role play where everyone can participate. (wearing clothes or not)

I visited a much bigger event in Seattle Washington where I met with artists and enthusiasts  I only had read about.

As I walked in to the conference centre the first thing I saw was a big poster of myself hanging on the wall. I was attending as a guest and I was going to have a concert during the weekend but I didn't expect to be "mistaken for a celebrity".
But as the conference went into the weekend I realised that everyone was a celebrity there. Everyone was creative artists and thinkers. Everyone had a story to their name.
My concerts (two of them) and the lecture on Cryptozoology went beautifully and I am definitely going to continue with my "Monsters and myths" talks in the future.

*Robert and Barbara took care of me every step of the way in Seattle. Here we are at Theatro ZinZanni the coolest show I've ever seen.

At tea - Concert

Café Racer - Concert

Meeting many people and trying many things

Like Absinthe

And now I am working on my first Steampunk CD 'Ravenblack'

 And back with The Old Spice

Ravenblack - New album

My new album Ravenblack will be published december 1 this year and I will be adding the songs as they are processed to the band camp site.
https://ingimaroddsson.bandcamp.com

The founder of Bildalia the fictional kingdom at the end of the world. Bildalia is the playground of the annual Steampunk festival in Iceland held in Bíldudalur in the Westfjords of Iceland. Also the curator of the Sea Monster museum in Bíldudalur. A musician and a multimedia artist. Have published books and music composed a musical and performed in different shows and theatre.

Steampunk Iceland 2015

It is a lot of work to put on a festival like the Steampunk Iceland. Steampunk is relatively new phenomena in Iceland and in Icelandic culture and history the industrial revolution and its optimistic dreams didn't reach Iceland until just before the first world war. Yes we were living in caves and mud houses up to the 30's

But in the remote fjords in the west coast of Iceland called the Westfjords in the start of the 20th century a group of individuals came together and build a flourishing fishing industry. Bíldudalur was the center of production of "bacalao" a salted cod directly transported to Spain and Portugal.

Electricity, steamship and machinery not known before became the everyday working place of this little village in the corner of the world. Therefore Bildudalur is the ideal place to have the Steampunk Iceland festival.
The longest days of the year 22nd and the 23rd of june will create a beautiful frame for the festival which will be from june 20 to june 27

The whole of the southern region of the Westfjords will turn into the Kingdom of Bildalia for a week and adventurous people will gather their gears and costumes to make this festival að thrill of a lifetime.

The midsummer sun will be playing along with this only Steampunk festival in Iceland. This is the largest theater in the world. Everyone is the leading actors in this week long live action role play at the end of the world. 

ONE

My latest video was shot in Bíldudalur last summer by Monika Fricova. 

The man with the scythe represents the death itself where he works his way through life by cutting the path towards the end. Time is one dimensional and unconditional.

The song represents the wish for one more day, time or breath to prolong the inevitable.

The Bildalian Chronicles

http://karolinafund.com/project/view/74
The full version of the Bildalian Chronicles will be published May 1 2013
It will be a printed version and an eBook, both largely illustrated with pictures and drawings.
At the same time the official web of Bildalia will be opened. Full of knowlidge, photos, videoes, drawings, games and other material.
Come and join the Bildalian adventure - It has begun.

Steampunk theme

I've been modifying my old computer and designing furniture along with editing Bildalian chronicles which will be published next spring.
It's all about creating atmosphere and image according to the steampunk theme I'm trying to apply to my work.  My music, writing and design.

Here are some pictures of the iMac and my keyboard along with my fan.

Undirbúningur í fullum gangi / Preparation time

Nú fer að líða að svaðilför til Bíldalíu. Ég hef sett saman lista yfir þá hluti sem eru nauðsynlegir til skrímslaleitar og einnig ef eitthvað kæmi uppá. Ég hef sent út nokkrar styrkbeiðnir í fyrirtæki í þeirri von að mér takist að hafa þessa "heimildarfrásögn" sem ýtarlegasta og aðgengilegasta fyrir lesendur pistlanna.
Mig vantar semsé ennþá húsnæði í Bíldalíu til að nota sem bækistöð, bát/skip eða loftfar til umráða og vídeokameru til að taka myndskeið. Svo vantar kíki, fílabyssu, ljósmyndavél, klippibúnað, (fartölvu), bifreið, kafbát og síðast en ekki sýst nokkra aukahluti í Parphenometerinn minn til að hann virki eðlilega.
Allt annað hef ég smíðað og/eða keypt til ferðarinnar og er orðinn annsi spenntur.

My journey to Bildalia is getting closer every day now and still I haven't managed to gather all the equipment I will need for the documentary to be accurate and accessible to my readers.
I've written some letters to companies in Iceland and asked them to sponsor my trip with video-cameras and computer equipment to make the most of the experience. But I will also need housing, binocular, car, ship or a boat, some dirigible and a submarine to search for the monsters and last but not least I need some gears to my Parphenometer to work correctly. Everything else I've managed to build or buy and I am looking forward to the trip.

One

 ONE

One life

passed before my eyes

one, in oceans of time

one dream now wouldn't it be nice

to have one more moment sublime

Just one more day

one seems so little

one step away

one says it all

one is forever so small

yet without one there be nothing at all

Just one more day

one seems so little

one step away

one is so small

One is a wonderful day

one the ever reaching milky way

one is the sun in the sky

and just once, just once should one die

Just one more day

one says it all

life is no longer than a day

one day as profound as a life

One word for all for all there is to say 

one who will forever survive 

Just one more day

one seems so little

one step away

one is so small

Skrímslafræðingur / Monstrologist

Farinn á skrímslaveiðar í sumar. Ég þarf að vera annsi vel vopnum búinn til að takast á við þessa hættulegu ferð.
Sum skrímslin eru afar hættuleg.
Nú er ég að vinna að því að setja saman Parphenometer, tæki sem miðar út yfirnáttúruleg fyrirbrigði.
Ég mun ferðast í lofti,  láði og legi og jafnvel neðansjávar. Þessi ferð mun taka tíma fé og fyrirhöfn og þarf ég því allann stuðning sem ég get fengið.

Going on a Monster-hunt this summer.
I have to be fully equipped with weaponry to take on such dangerous venture.
Some of the monsters are extremely dangerous.
Now I am working on my Parphenometer, a device to detect paranormal phenomenon.
I will have to travel on ground, in the air and under water. It will take time, effort and some money to complete this mission.
Wish me luck.

Mr. E. Novell

I made you a song while while preparing for my Bildalian venture. 

Til frekari skýringar / Further explanation

Bildalian chronicles er ferðasaga mín í máli og myndum frá ferðalagi mínu til Bíldalíu frá júní og fram í september.
Bíldalía er vissulega tilbúið eða skáldað land en svæðið og fólkið er raunverulegt.
Persónurnar í sögu Bíldalíu eru raunverulegar og atburðir þeir sem lýst er eru byggðir á raunveruleikanum. Trúin á skrímsli, álfa og drauga lifir enn sterku lífi líkt og hún hefur lifað í gegn um aldirnar. Frásögn mín gæti verið ölrlítið ýkt en sönn er hún engu að síður.
Sjálfur er eins og ég er venjulega.
(Endilega berið saman frásögn mína við raunverulegar staðreyndir, það mun koma á óvart hversu lítinn skáldskap hér um ræðir)
Njótið og deilið með vinum nær og fjær þessari ferðasögu, og saman munum við í sumar ferðast aðeins lengra en við fórum áður.


The Bildalian chronicles is my online travel-diary that tells about my journey to the mysterious Bildalia from June to september.
Bildalia is a "made-up" country or a state but the territory and the people are real.
The characters in the history of Bildalia and their names are true and the belief in monsters elves and ghosts is still around and has been for centuries. My story may be exaggerated a little but real nevertheless. 
For myself I am like I am in real life. 
(By all means compare my tales to the real Bildalia if you can and you will be amazed just how little is made up)
Enjoy and share the chronicles with friends near and far, together we just might have a little different journey. 

Verkefni

English down below

Ég vakna upp úr veruleikanum inn í minn eigin draum.
Ég er um þessar mundir að vinna að nokkrum verkefnum í einu, skrifa bók, semja tónlist og búa mig undir ferðalag til Bíldalíu.

Bildalian Chronicles er ferðadagbók mín í máli, myndum og myndskeiðum, frá ferð minni til Bíldalíu. Þar mun ég lenda í ýmsum ævintýrum við rannsóknir á furðuverum, óþekktum svæðum og hættulegum sértrúarsöfnuði svo eitthvað sé nefnt.

Ferðalagið þarf talsverðan undirbúning þar sem Bíldalía er lokuð frá umheiminum mest allt árið og mjög erfitt er að komast þangað. Ég þarf að útvega mér tæki og tól til að vinna verkefnið; Tölvu, vídeoupptökuvél og myndavél ásamt auðvitað loftbelg eða lítið loftskip og útbúnað til skrímslaleitar.

Ég mun líklega dvelja í einhverju af þeim yfirgefnu húsum sem þar er að finna og hafa með mér striga og pensla til dægrastyttingar. Ferðin mun taka þrjá mánuði og ef ég kemst lífs af þá mun ég líklega gefa Bildalian Chronicles út í heilu lagi sem tölvubók.

Bildalian Chronicles er á ensku vegna þess að ég vil fá ferðamenn til að njóta ævintýrsins með okkur. Ég ætla að reyna að fá síðuna mína tengda við einhverja vefi í ferðaþjónustunni ásamt að tengja mig við gufupönk samfélagið í útlöndunum. Allur umbúnaður ferðalagsins sjálfs ætti að vera sveipaður ævintýraljóma að hætti Jules Verne þar sem ég er sjálfur auðvitað stórskrítinn með minn pípuhatt, tæki og tól. Sagan verður í formi bloggfærslna hér á vefnum ásamt myndum og myndskeiðum sem verða blanda af frásögnum og leikþáttum ... 

Tónlistin mín er mestmegnis ævintýra eða gufupönk tónlist. Ég vinn tónlistina á átta ára gamla tölvu og nota fyrstu útgáfuna af logic pro tónlistarforritinu bæði fyrir tónsmíðarnar og upptöku á söng. Þetta gerir það af verkum að ég takmarkast við átta rásir, tölvan mín ræður ekki við meira í fullum gæðum.
Þar sem ég notast mikið við klassísk hljóðfæri eins og fiðlur og básúnur tekur það oft langann tíma að hljóðblanda tónlistina svo hún hljómi sem mest eins og lifandi en auðvitað heyrist samt oft að þetta er tölvugerð tónlist.
Ég stefni á það að gefa út tólf laga disk fyrir næstu jól, hvort sem það verður "virtual" eða efnislegur diskur. Á þeim diski verða þessi ævintýra - gufupönk lög sem ég hef verið að setja á youtube. Líklega mun ég fara í alvöru hljóðver til að syngja lögin inn og hljóðblanda þau endanlega.

Bókin sem ég er að vinna að ber heitið Gullna bókin og er "retro-futuristic" ævintýri sem á að gerast í hugsanlegri framtíð en þó að því gefnu að menningin hafi liðið undir undir lok í hamförunum miklu einhverjum 200 árum áður. Þeir sem lifðu af hafa svo saman byggt upp samfélag á grunni þeirrar þekkingar sem eftir varð, þróað tækni og lífshætti sem svipar mjög til síðustu ára nítjándu aldar og fram á þrjá fyrstu áratugi þeirrar tuttugustu. Já, sem sagt gufupönk.

Projects
I wake up from reality into a dream. 
I am now working on many projects at the same time, writing a novel, composing and preparing for the journey to Bildalia in june.

The Bildalian Chronicles is my online travel diary of my exploration to the mysterious Bildalia  

I write, take pictures and make videophiles during my journey for three months. I will try to capture monster or uncover it's mysteries, find out the truth about the Grotters of the undersea Hole-caves and discover the hidden valley of the tall trees among many other phenomena. In adventures you never know what will happen next, I will have my equipment for researching and some food, and if I live to tell the tale it will most likely be published as a digital book because of the videophiles. 

The adventure starts in june.

My music is mostly adventure-fairy tale steampunk music. I'm using logic 8 as a sequencer software  and recording studio. My computer is now eight years old and does not function to the highest standards and since I use classical instruments, it takes a lot of effort to make the music sound lifelike.
I'm planning on releasing a CD before next christmas either a virtual or physical and probably I will complete the recordings and the mix in a "real" recording studio. 

My book I write in Icelandic. It is a retro-futuristic steampunk adventure where some hundred years after the great disasters people have developed technology and standards comparable to the late 19th century and the beginning of the 20th. The story itself  is already finished and now I'm working on the decorative part. I work on it when I have time and I have no idea when it will be published.