Alþingi is Icelands Parliament and olso the oldes Parliament in the world.

In 1881 their curren building was built in the heart of Reykjavík. But because of how expencive the building was, the original plans to furnish the building were never finished.

In 2007 those plans were finally seen through with brand new furniture designed by Leó Jóhannsson. And as a part of his design he wanted some of the tables in the building, those with a glass surface, to have some graphic printed on them.

We, at the Atelier, were invided to take part in a compitition and send in our ideas for the tables. One of our ideas was chosen and is currently resting peacefully under the coffeecups, new laws and chess games of the members of the Parliament.

The idea is based on the first Parliaments in Iceland, dating back to 930. Each table has a different year reprisented on it, and around the year (which is printed in the middle) the names of the grebes (members of Parliament) are drawn, forming a sun-like illustration. The names in the circle decrease in numbers as time goes by, and the difference between the earliest years and the later is dramatic (see imgaes 7 and 8). This circle also represents the way the grebes actually sat the the early parliaments (see image 6).

One table, located in the office of the president of the Parliament, is quite different though. It shows a map of the original location of Icelands Parliament, Þingvellir, and where this circle of grebes was formed every year (see images 3 and 9).

Photographs by
Rafael Pinho.

Done as a project at
Atelier Atli Hilmarsson.