Iceland’s scenery is lovely yet savage.  The views are astonishing, from the Northern Lights to the purebred horses.  But storms can arise at any moment, and recent eruptions have solidified the nation’s reputation as the land of fire and ice.  One may drive up to a glacier on a one-lane road without guard rails, but if one should get in trouble, help may be late in arriving.  Last year a New Jersey tourist became famous for following his GPS six hours off course (having typed Laugarvegur  instead of Laugavegur, an easy mistake), briefly becoming a local celebrity; he then repeated the mistake on a drive to the Blue Lagoon.

Gail Priest captures the nation’s dichotomy in her dual-toned aural exploration, Heraclitus in Iceland.  The title refers to the philosopher who wrote, “You cannot step twice into the same river.”  Reading Heraclitus’ work while enjoying her residency in Olafsfjordur, the Australian sound artist…