The Eggs of Merry Bay
The Eggs of Merry Bay (Eggin í Gleðivík) is an outdoor sculpture installation along the old harbour at Djúpivogur in East Iceland, consisting of 34 oversized granite eggs, each representing one of the 34 bird species that nest in the area. Created in 2009 by Icelandic artist Sigurður Guðmundsson, the eggs are mounted on concrete pedestals along a 900-metre coastal path, with signs identifying each species in both Icelandic and Latin.
A Tribute to East Iceland's Birdlife, Carved in Granite Along the Harbour
Sigurður Guðmundsson (born 1942) is one of Iceland's best-known conceptual artists and was a founding member of the influential Fluxus-linked SÚM collective in the 1960s. The Eggs of Merry Bay, unveiled in 2009, is one of his most visited works. The 34 eggs are each carved from granite to accurately represent the shape, texture, and colouring of the real egg of the bird species it depicts. Each one sits on its own plinth with a sign giving the bird's common Icelandic name and its Latin species name. One egg stands larger than the rest: the red-throated diver, known in Icelandic as lómur, is the official bird symbol of Djúpivogur and is given special prominence in the installation. The bay the sculpture lines, Gleðivík, translates simply as Merry Bay.
Djúpivogur itself is a small fishing village in the Eastfjords, notable as the only Cittaslow settlement in Iceland, a designation given to communities that embrace a slower, more sustainable pace of life. The village sits in the shadow of the pyramid-shaped mountain Búlandstindur, which rises to 1,069 metres and, according to local folklore, has the power to grant wishes to those who travel to it during the summer solstice. The combination of the harbour sculpture, the mountain, the lighthouse trail nearby, and the old fish oil tank repurposed as an arts venue called Tankurinn makes Djúpivogur one of the more culturally interesting stops on the East Iceland Ring Road.
The sculpture is located about 900 metres from the village centre along the coastal path, free to visit at all times, and easily reached on foot. Djúpivogur sits just off Route 1 in East Iceland, roughly a 30-minute drive south of the Eastfjords junction. It is a natural stop for Ring Road travellers heading between Höfn and the Eastfjords. A boat trip to nearby Papey Island, known for its puffin colonies and seal-watching, can also be arranged from the harbour.
