Making a descent into Iceland’s Akureyri Airport, some 65 degrees north of the Equator, in a blizzard of white is both unsettling and oddly calming, like landing on a cloud—a disembodied feeling interrupted only by the arrival of a Mercedes Sprinter truck with 46-inch monster tyres. Without this James Bond style vehicle to power through the five feet of dense snow that had fallen in the past week, there would have been no chance of reaching Deplar Farm, a two-hour drive away in the Troll Peninsula’s otherworldly Fljot Valley.
As we set off into the wilderness, there are glimpses of distant mountains, before the view is obscured completely by snowflakes. I think of lines from The White Road, a love letter to white porcelain by the author and ceramicist Edmund de Waal. “I’ve read Moby Dick… I think I know the dangers of an obsession with white, the pull towards something so pure, so total in its immersive possibility that you are transfigured, changed, feel you can start again,” he writes. “It feels white. By which I mean it is full of anticipation, of possibility.”
We have travelled to Deplar Farm for a six-day photography retreat curated by Alex Fenlon, the Creative Director of Eleven Experience, which owns and operates the lodge. Although initially apprehensive about the relentless snowfall blocking us in, we are soon reassured that even if we never venture out of the hotel, there is more than enough to occupy us here. During our welcome tour, we are shown around a spa offering morning yoga sessions, a geothermal pool with a swim-up bar serving a large collection of whiskies and a Viking-inspired fitness-room, complete with ancient axes mounted on the wall.
Denne historien er fra December 2021-utgaven av Harper's BAZAAR Singapore.
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Denne historien er fra December 2021-utgaven av Harper's BAZAAR Singapore.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
The Great Unknown
It's a fresh chapter for Thai actress Nuttanicha "Nychaa" Dungwattanawanich as she strikes out on her own.
FINDING XANADU
Adventure, magic and freedom await in the land of the blue sky, Mongolia.
TALKING POINTS
From the worlds of Art, Culture, Travel and Design.
TIMELESS LUXURY
In Hosanna Swee and Tom Chng's stunning apartment, an eye for detail and love for horological collectibles reveals an elegant and minimalist escape.
PRIM FOR PRIMETIME
Chanikarn \"Prim\" Tangkabodee reminisces on her journey from a child actor to a superstar in-the-making.
INSPIRATION
The suave music artiste is no stranger to the world of fashion. In fact, he describes fashion as the forefront of his and his family's personal expression, as well as a form of manners.
WELL, SUITED?
As attitudes towards dress codes shift, is the suit about to exit our closets?
DARK HORSE
In his next role and what is easily his most challenging character to date―actor Brian Ng wants one thing from you: your hatred.
THE POWER OF PERETTI
In a hidden village of Sant Marti Vell in Spain, where Elsa Peretti lived, loved and created enduring symbols of design and beauty for Tiffany & Co., Kenneth Goh traces and marvels at her 50 years of legacy.
REDEFINING ROYALTY
Chaumet's Charles Leung talks to BAZAAR about the beauty and the resilience of the 244-year-old French jewellery brand in a new era.