Snickers Workwear Magazine 1
The profile I Gulli Byggir Gunnlaugur Helgason is
an Icelandic carpenter who has fought for years to put the building trades on the map. He currently hosts Iceland’s only TV program about the construction industry, “Gulli Byggir” (which would be “Gulli the Builder” in English), and it has higher viewer ratings than the news. The goal is to make the trades attractive to young people. When Gulli Helgason decided to become a carpenter 30 years ago, there were few who understood his choice – “You have to study, become a lawyer or economist. Carpentry is for losers.” After ten years in the profession, Gulli had deduced that the picture painted by nay-sayers was practically cemented in the souls of the Icelandic people. Parents have spontaneously pushed their children along the academic path, mostly out of tradition. But also due to the constant fluctuations in the economy that have been particularly noticeable in the construction industry for quite some time. “I realised that something radical had to be done. And that it was probably me who had to do it. A serious primetime building program seemed like the right way to go. But that it would take another 10 years before a state-owned TV channel would understand that there was a message worth spreading to Iceland’s future workers – that was unexpected.” So how did you pull it off? “Many people dream of the perfect home. But because of ignorance and the extremely bad reputation of trades people here in Iceland, they didn’t dare to try to realise their visions. I sold in a program that would challenge the image of a shady branch full of irresponsible people with dubious ways. A turnaround that would raise status, THIS IS ICELAND Geography: Iceland is an island in the middle of the Atlantic. Nearest neighbour Greenland, 290 km from Iceland’s west coast. Of the country’s 103,000 km2 , only 1% of the land is cultivated, 20% is pasture, 11% is covered by lava and 12% by glaciers. 338,000 people live on Iceland. Capital: Reykjavík with about 123,200* inhabitants. Did you know… ... Europe’s largest glacier is located in Iceland and is called Vatnajökull (8,300 km2). Trade and commerce: Until 2000, 75% of export earnings came from fishing. Today, fish products represent only 25% of export earnings, while the tourism industry accounts for 31%. Aluminium is another major source of income (20%). Known Icelanders: The singer Björk, the bands Sigur Rós and Of monsters and Men. Selected authors: Nobel laureate Halldór Kiljan Laxness (1902–1998), Jón Kalman Stefánsson, Sigurjón Birgir Sigurðsson (Sjón), Arnaldur Indriðason, Yrsa Sigurðardóttir and Vigdís Grímsdóttir. Useful Icelandic expressions: Ég Skil Ekki íslensku (Jie skil ehki islensku): I do not understand Icelandic. Góðan daginn! (Gouthan daijin): Good day! Takk fyrir (tahk firir): Thanks. Gjörðu svo vel! (Gyerthy svo vel): Please Sports: The most popular team sports are football and handball. Most of the population swims, as almost all towns have swimming pools thanks to the hot springs. Hot springs: There are 800 hot springs on the island with an average water temperature of 70ºC. Together they heat the majority of the island’s households and bathhouses. The country’s largest hot spring, Deildartunguhver, produces over 150 gallons of boiling water per second! The largest hot spring geyser is in Haukadalur in southern Iceland. It is called Geysir and has given its name to all hot springs around the world that spray jets of water into the air. (Source: www.iceland.is) *(1 January 2017). Snickers Workwear I autumn/winter 2018 65