Thirty-four granite eggs follow the shoreline

Artist Sigurður Guðmundsson created Eggin í Gleðivík as a site-specific work about the birds that nest around Djúpivogur.

Each polished granite form represents the egg of a different local nesting species. Their sizes, colors and proportions vary, so the work becomes more interesting as you move along the line instead of looking at one egg in isolation.

The largest represents the egg of the red-throated diver, or lómur, a bird closely associated with Djúpivogur. The finished artwork was formally unveiled in 2009 and has since become one of the village's best-known landmarks.

Artwork and artist

The concrete plinths came before the artwork

The eggs stand on supports that once carried a landing pipe between the pier and the processing plant at the inner end of Gleðivík.

Reusing the supports ties the sculpture to Djúpivogur's working waterfront. Their straight line also gives the eggs a clear rhythm against the irregular rocks, water and mountains. The industrial remains are therefore part of the work, not simply bases chosen to raise the sculptures.

The reused concrete supports form a long line between the shore and the mountains.
A row of polished granite bird eggs on concrete supports beside Gleðivík.

The reused concrete supports form a long line between the shore and the mountains.

Up close, the polished granite contrasts with the water and rocky shore.
A granite egg sculpture overlooking the water at Gleðivík in Djúpivogur.

Up close, the polished granite contrasts with the water and rocky shore.

Birdlife gives the sculpture its local meaning

The eggs refer to real species around Djúpivogur rather than birds chosen only for visual variety.

That connection makes the work a useful introduction to the wider Djúpivogur area. Travelers who want to see living seabirds can read about Papey, while the eggs themselves remain a cultural interpretation of the region's wildlife.

The mountains and rocky shoreline are part of the artwork's setting.
Eggin í Gleðivík sculptures with snow-streaked mountains behind them.

The mountains and rocky shoreline are part of the artwork's setting.

Djúpivogur context

A brief, exposed waterfront visit

Most visitors only need a short walk along the row, with extra time if they want to photograph individual eggs and the mountain backdrop.

The artwork is outdoors and has no shelter of its own. Wind, rain or ice can make the shoreline less comfortable, and a quick look may be enough in rough weather.

Eggin í Gleðivík is easy to understand on its own. If you are spending more time locally, Berufjörður provides the broader fjord landscape south of the village.

By ThorPublished Updated