Reykjavík Grapevine - 15.08.2008, Side 59

REYKJAVÍK CULTURE NIGHT 2008 – AUGUST 23
The Reykjavík Art Museum – Kjarvalsstaðir
hosts an extensive program for this year’s
Culture Night. The program will feature
musical performances by musicians such
as Faroese singer Sölva Ford – hand-
picked by Reykjavík City’s mayor to per-
form on this year’s event, and the string
quartet Blúndur og Bogar. Several guided
tours of the musuem’s exhibitons will be
offered, such as: “I HATE NATURE” by
Martha Schwartz, “Where am I” and the
collaborative exhibiton “Dreams of Sublime
and Nowhere.” For those interested in
Icelandic cultural heritage, Kjarlvalsstaðir
will offer guests a rare opportunity to take
a look behind the scenes and browse the
museum’s storage where some of Ice-
land’s most valuable artwork is kept when
not on display.
Birna Þórðardóttir has lived in Reykjavík all
her life and knows 101’s nooks and cran-
nies like the back of her hand. This is why
participating in her guided tours of down-
town is an excellent idea, for she has the
inside scoop on most things you definitely
will not find in any tourist brochures. The
tour starts on Skólavörðuholt, by the Leif
Eiríksson statue and extends to surround-
ing squares, past and present. It is of
course available in English – we wouldn’t
be reccomending it if it weren’t..
Reykjavík City Hall plays host to ‘Time to
Live and Enjoy’, the special guest program
by Reykjanesbær Municipal. This historical
and large-spanning venue features a Flight
and History exposé on the story of aviation
and naval settlements in Keflavík, as well as
selected examples from the fleet of Grímur
Karlsson – former seaman and captain
from Njarðvík – who has passionately built
200 models of Icelandic boats from 1860
to present day. The program also focuses
on Iceland’s geographic past and future
with slides from the magnificent natural
phenomenon, Reykjanes Peninsula, as well
as a chance to learn about the 30 year his-
tory of Suðurnes Geothermal Companies
research in harnessing geothermal energy.
The exhibition then looks forward, with a
glimpse at the future vision for Reykjanes-
bær from 2006–2010. Keflavík is known
as the birthplace of Icelandic Rock n’ Roll,
so naturally music will feature prominently
in the program, with performances from
Reykjanesbær Music School’s Big Band
and opera singers from Reykjanesbær
as well as the Keflavík Men’s Choir. The
exhibit ‘Rock and Roll in Iceland’ – from the
Icelandic Rock Museum on the early years
of rock – is a great warm up to the night’s
events which include a grand finale from
the King of Icelandic Rock n’ Roll, Rúni
Júl’s Rock Band, and the popular reggae-
band Hjálmar.
Reykjavik City Hall from 14:00 – 22:30
Special Guest Program in
Reykjanesbær Muncipal in Reykjavík City Hall
Time to live
and Enjoy
Skólavörðuholt at 14:00 Reykjavík Art Museum from 10:00 – 23:00
Sublimely Lost in IcelandSquares of the Past
Iceland has a diverse history of folk
music, which spans from old Viking tales
and Nordic legends. Unlike many other
cultures, where the music of yesteryear
has been forgotten or gone unrecognised,
traditional Icelandic folk music remains
widely performed and celebrated in the
twenty-first Century. Reykjavik’s folk com-
munity has its own life, its own humour
and its own way of recognising the tradi-
tion of tales that were passed from village
to village. These tales can take poetic
and musical forms, be the old tales about
trolls, elves and hard winters or epic war
poetry of the Skalds.
The duo ‘The Two of Us’ will perform
various folk pieces on the Square of Briet
Bjarnhéðinsdóttir. Their work will span
many Icelandic folk tunes as well as a look
to the future, juxtaposing these old songs
with snippets of the new music that has
arisen from recent Icelandic culture.
On the Square of Briet Bjarnhéðinsdóttir at 17:00
Two on a Square