There are two large outdoor sculptures at Keflavik airport in Iceland. They stand next to the terminal building, so are unmissable whether coming to the airport or heading out towards Reykjavik.

The Rainbow is the work of Rúrí, an Icelandic artist and was installed in 1991 and manages to look cheerful even on days when the weather is less than sparkly.

Keflavik rainbow

The other piece always confuses me. The title is Jet Nest and the curved tongue is supposedly the tip of a jet wing hatching from an egg which sits atop a pile of typically Icelandic volcanic rock. Yet, every time I see it, I think either ‘gooseberry’ or, in a more aeronautical vein, the nose of the old Concorde. I wonder if anyone has said similar to artist Magnús Tómasson? The installation date is not noted, but it was in place in 2002 when I made my first trip to Iceland along with Dad.

Jet Nest / gooseberry

I really need to re-educate my brain about this since they don’t grow gooseberries in Iceland.