Åland in Pop Culture

The spirit and natural beauty of the Åland Islands have inspired people all over the world.

by Iona Hillman

Photos Courtesy Jeremiah Chiu & Marta Sofia Honer, pictured in L.A. Jeremiah & Marta Sofia at Hotel Svala, Kumlinge, Åland, photo by Joyce Kim.

Recordings from the Åland Islands

During the summer of 2017, two musicians–Jeremiah Chiu and Marta Sofia Honer–traveled to the Åland Islands to help friends build an inn for an artist residency program. Soon after their arrival, the two artists were taken by the Åland serenity and the natural soundscape of the archipelago. Almost five years later, Chiu and Honer released the album Recordings from the Åland Islands, a musical collaboration inspired by Åland. The songs combine the organic sounds of Åland’s environment with Chiu’s synthesizers and Honer’s string performance.

As written in their description of the musical project, “Honer and Chiu’s collective pallet produces a vivid three-dimensional hyperreality of painterly tones and textures–bright and kaleidoscopic, but with a deeply warm, earthen resonance.” By transporting the listener into the center of Åland’s vibrant natural domain, the album presents a unique and exciting opportunity for individuals to discover the wonders of the Åland Islands. To listen and/or purchase the album visit https://intlanthem.bandcamp.com/album/recordings-fromthe-land-islands.

Sources: International Anthem. n.d. Twitter. March 11, 2022, 6:16 AM. Accessed June 15, 2022. https://mobile.twitter.com/intlanthem/status/1502287426680676355?cxt=HHwWhoCznZCdmdkpAAAA.

Jeremiah Chiu and Marta Sofia Honer: Recordings from the Åland Islands. 2022. PopMatters. March 17, 2022. https://www.popmatters.com/jeremiah-chiu-marta-sofia-honer-recordings.

Middleton, Ryan. n.d. Album Review: Jeremiah Chiu & Marta Sofia Honer—Recordings from the Åland Islands. Magnetic Magazine. Accessed June 15, 2022. https://www.magneticmag.com/2022/03/album-review-jeremiah-chiu-marta-sofia-honer-recordings-from-the-aland-islands/.

Recordings from the Åland Islands, by Jeremiah Chiu & Marta Sofia Honer. n.d. International Anthem. Accessed June 15, 2022. https://intlanthem. bandcamp.com/album/recordings-from-the-land-islands.

ÅLAND, South Korea

In the summer of 2005, a small store in South Korea by the name of Åland opened its doors to the developing fashion scene in Seoul. What originally started as a small studio across Hongik University, became the new “It” store for rising Korean designers and local fashion youths. Åland was started by two sisters–Kinam and Jung Eun Jung–who wanted to create a space for up-and-coming designers to showcase their brand as well as to provide affordable yet fashionable clothing styles to younger generations.

The name and logo of the store take inspiration from the Åland Islands. The logo is a drawing of a fish holding a cintamani stone in its mouth. The design is based on the Säyne species of fish that live near the Åland Islands and the wish-fulfilling stone jewel from the Buddhist tradition. With Seoul’s growing street-style reputation and the store’s increasing popularity among Korean celebrities, the Jung sisters have recently opened a second store in Brooklyn, New York. Visit their website at www.alandusa.com.

Sources: Åland. Accessed June 15, 2022. https://www. alandusa.com/.

Kim, Monica. Åland, Seoul’s Best-Kept (Affordable!) Shopping Secret, Opens a Flagship in Brooklyn. Vogue. Last modified July 19, 2018. Accessed June 15, 2022. https://www.vogue.com/ article/aland-brooklyn-korean-shop-opens-newyork-flagship-store

Pin by Nathaly Acevedo on Åland | Shop Facade, Fashion Store, Design. Pinterest. Accessed June 15, 2022. https://www.pinterest.com/ pin/618119117588524669/.

Courtesy of ÅLAND Courtesy of Får North Spirits, photo by Bodega, Ltd

Får North Spirits

Twenty-five miles south of the Canadian border in Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota, lies a fourth-generation farm owned by the Swanson family since 1917. In the center of the thousand-acre farm is a distillery named the Får North Spirits. Taking inspiration from Nordic-style spirits, this distillery offers a wide variety of whiskey, rum, and gin. The Ålander, in particular, is a Nordic-style spiced rum named after the Åland Islands due to its similar environment to Minnesota’s Lake of the Woods. The drink uses whole bean spices common in Nordic baking recipes and various other spices–all sourced organically. Double distilled to 175 proof, the Ålander carries a 90-point rating in Wine Enthusiast Magazine.

Stormin’ Nordic

1.5 oz Ålander Nordic Spiced Rum juice of quarter lime wedge 3 drops habañero or Jamaican jerk bitters 3 oz ginger beer Combine all ingredients in tall glass with ice. Stir.

Visit their website at www.farnorthspirits.com.

Sources: Ålander Rum | White, Aged & Nordic Spiced Rum | Far North Spirits. n.d. Farnorthspirits.com. Accessed June 15, 2022. https://farnorthspirits.com/ craft-distillery-alander-rum-minnesota/.

Far North Spirits | Northernmost Craft Distillery in the Contiguous US. n.d. Farnorthspirits.com. Accessed June 15, 2022. https://farnorthspirits. com/home