Think Green !Náttúra - Nature
www.nattura.info
Björk & Sigur Rós Team Up to perform @ a free concert in their hometown of Reykjavik. The Náttúra concert is a bid to raise awareness of the destruction of Iceland's natural landscape, and will be webcast live from from 7 pm to 12 pm GMT (3pm—8pm EST) on Nat Geo Music.
Place: the Botanical Garden @ Laugadalur Valley, near the center of Reykjavik. Iceland.
The country boasts the largest unspoilt wilderness left in Europe, and Náttúra is being organized as a response to the ongoing environmental degradation caused by Iceland's increasingly invasive aluminium smelting activity.
Sigur Rós, who recently released their fifth album "Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust" this week, believes the issue of aluminum smelting in Iceland is one that can no longer be ignored. "We are not a political band and don't think musicians should set themselves as spokespeople on anything at all, but sometimes you see things going on in your own back yard and find that just as a human being you cannot stand by and do nothing. The changes that are going on in Iceland need to be the subject of debate and not snuck through the back door because no one lives in the wilderness and there is urban apathy or a general lack of awareness" said Sigur Rós vocalist Jón Thor Birgisson.
"Too often battles being fought for nature turn into something negative and into mudslinging" Björk added in a recent press statement. "We will not go that way, we are not saying that this and that is forbidden, we are rather asking 'what about all these other possibilities?' The 21st century is not going to be another oil century but rather a century where we need to recycle, think green and design both power plants and our surroundings in harmony with nature."
The Náttúra concert will also spotlight the book Dreamland: A Self-Help Manual to a Frightened Nation by Andri Snær Magnason. The book, a best-seller in Iceland, is published in English next month by Citizen Press and has already won the Icelandic Literary Award and the Icelandic Bookseller Prize.
National Geographic are webcasting the concert with the Icelandic Music Giants on their website from National Geographic Music, will Webcast the Náttúra concert Open Air live from Iceland on Saturday 28. June 2008. Two of the world's most important and visionary musical entities, Björk and Sigur Rós, will headline the free concert. To be held in a large park near the center of Reykjavik, all of the performances will be during daylight, with Iceland’s capital city and dramatic rolling scenery providing a perfect backdrop to what is expected to be one of the biggest concerts the country has seen. The Náttúra concert looks to raise awareness of the impact of the growing aluminum smelting activity on Iceland’s natural landscape.
“One of National Geographic Music’s main goals is to offer artists and experts who care about global culture and the environment an outlet to create awareness for important issues. Spotlighting these amazing artists performing live in a spectacular backdrop allows our worldwide audience to enjoy great music and become aware of Iceland’s environmental concerns and join the conversation” said David Beal, president of National Geographic Entertainment.
The Organizers expect up to 40.000 people to attend. Admission will be free for the Farm Animal Zoo and the swimming pool in Laugardalur and the concert goers can use the bathroom facilities there because of the support of Reykjavik City.
Attendees can park at the Skating Rink, the Farm Animal Zoo, Laugardalur Sports Hall and Stadium. But people are naturally encouraged to walk or cycle to the concert to be environmentally friendly.
Go to National Geographic World Music to watch the Nature Awareness Concert online:
3 pm to 8 pm ET (begins at 8 pm BST/London or 7 pm GMT/Reykjavik)
http://worldmusic.nationalgeographic.com/worldmusic/view/page.basic/article/content.article/bjork_sigur
Sources:
http://worldmusic.nationalgeographic.com/worldmusic/view/page.basic/home
www.icelandreview.com
More Náttúra stuff:
http://nattura.grapewire.net/shop/nattura
http://mbl.is/mm/folk/serefni/nattura
