rökkur
Rökkur is twilight. Iceland is close enough to the polar regions of the globe to make way for some seasonally short and long days. In May, the sun starts to set around 11.30pm, before it rises again at 5 or 6 am. The odd daylight hours sit uneasily for those of us from nearer the equator. The setting makes for some compelling scenes; clouds close in on a small village on the edge of a national park, a man stands on a petrol station forecourt watching the sun set, light fades in a hotel car park along the main ‘A’ road around the island, the roads in town become deserted as the light fades, trucks idle at a remote service station, volcanic steam rises from hot springs in a residential area, low lying cloud circles a mountain overlooking a closed service station and hotel, geothermal greenhouses glowing through the night. In these hours, something and nothing happens. The apocalypse threatens in the sublime.
