Reykjavík Grapevine - jan 2023, Qupperneq 12

12 The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 1— 2023
The past few months have been a head-
ache for Tjarnarbíó. The cultural centre
and theatre located in the heart of Reyk-
javík has been on the receiving end of
a number of noise complaints from its
neighbours, sparking rumours that it
may have to close its doors. As we enter
the venue on a crisp and sunny December
day, the question on everyone's minds is
whether Tjarnarbíó will be able to find a
solution to the noise issue and continue
to serve as a vital hub for music and
culture in the city.
The root of the issue
“No, that's never gonna happen,” says
Sara Martí Guðmundsdóttir, the director
of Tjarnarbíó, when asked if the rumours
about the theatre’s closure are true. “But
we do have neighbours, there you can
see them,” she says, pointing to the adja-
cent house. “They're so close.” Not just
close — Tjarnarbíó is directly attached
to another building, so any loud sounds,
including deep bass or subs, affect the
neighbouring residential property.
Approximately 10 years ago, neigh-
bours sued the theatre and, more recently,
the venue has received multiple threats
of a similar lawsuit.
“I understand their complaints,” says
Sara. “I would not be happy if there was
somebody constantly playing music that
was disturbing me and my peace. But
at the same time, I feel that this should
be Reykjavík City’s issue, not ours.” She
adds that Tjarnarbíó is currently the most
used stage in Iceland: “Nobody is doing
as many shows per week on one stage as
we are.”
Ensuring compliance with
loudness caps
According to the 2008 Noise Regulation
Act, Tjarnarbíó and most venues in town
(with the exception of Harpa and Laugar-
dalshöll) have to adhere to a maximum
loudness of 95 decibels. “That limits what
we do here. Thankfully, not that much,
because 95 decibels is quite high,” Sara
says. “But rock concerts are kind of out
of the question.”
“I feel very bad that I have to say ‘no’
to certain groups because of this,” she
admits, while wondering aloud how
aspiring artists are expected to make a
living from their music without access
to venues where they can showcase their
art without limitations.
In Tjarnarbíó’s case, the only solution
would be to completely dismantle the
glass atrium connecting the theatre to
the adjacent residential building. “This
is a major operation and would cost so
much money,” Sara laments. In fact, the
cost would be too high for Tjarnabíó to
carry, so their only hope is for the city to
fund the renovation. “That's not going to
happen anytime soon. They prefer it to
be our problem rather than theirs.”
Finding a win-win solution
“This building is a theatre. It's not going
to be anything else but a theatre — it
would cost the city millions upon millions
to do something else with this,” says Sara.
“The perfect solution to our problem
would be to do something about the noise
problem.”
“I respect my neighbours,” she contin-
ues. “I don't want to trouble them, but at
the same time, they also need to under-
stand that I'm just trying to run this
cultural establishment. And it's never
been more important than right now to
have a stage for artists.”
Sara believes that if the problem was
affecting more people than residents of
just three apartments, the city of Reyk-
javík would be more urgent in their
response.
The authorities’ stance
The municipal department charged with
probing noise complaints like those
levied against Tjarnabíó is the Depart-
ment of Health. “We receive quite a few
noise complaints because of noise that
comes from venues and events down-
town,” says Helgi Guðjónsson, a project
manager at the department’s environ-
mental division. “When we receive these
complaints, we investigate them and try
to see if they have merit behind them.”
Throughout our conversation, Helgi
refers to the aforementioned noise regu-
lation act. The act sets the decibel level
for different times of day and states that
a venue or business is not allowed to
impact the nearest building with noise
that exceeds a certain decibel level.
“It’s always difficult when we have
venues connected to another building,”
Helgi says. Speaking of the Tjarnarbíó
case, he adds: “In that instance, the only
way to lower the nuisance is to just keep
the sound levels fairly limited. If they
would like to have an increase in the
sound levels that they have, they would
have to make the renovation. I haven't
heard of any intention of changing that.
Until it is changed, they will just have to
abide by the rules that have been set.”
“The issue with many of the venues
and the bars in Reykjavík is that many
of them are old buildings, made of wood
and not very well insulated. They are not
really suitable for having rock bands play-
ing or having a dance club,” says Helgi. He
also mentions that even though the insu-
lation is better in newer buildings, leav-
ing doors open and other actions result
in higher noise levels. “We wouldn't get
that many complaints if the doors and the
windows were kept closed.”
A widespread problem
Tjarnarbíó is not the sole Reykjavík venue
with annoyed neighbours. Tóma Rýmið,
a space managed by the Klúbburinn art
collective, was forced to close its doors
due to ongoing complaints from the
neighbours. Downtown venues Ameri-
can Bar and Pablo Discobar also received
notices from the City of Reykjavík about
noise disturbances. Gamla Bíó, an old
cinema that hosts various events, had
to install a sound limiter since vibra-
tions from the venue were impacting the
neighbouring hotel.
“Tóma Rýmið is a very good example
of the city’s vision of how to do art,” says
Sara. “They give artists a space that is
leaking, probably has mould, and now
on top of it, they get noise complaints.”
Sara believes that grassroot organisations
need more venues to display their art
and the recent closure of Tóma Rýmið
demonstrates a lack of support for artists
from those in charge of the city.
Helgi’s opinion differs. “They didn't
have a permit,” he says. “The soundproof-
ing of the building wasn't enough to be
able to have a concert without it being
a nuisance for the nearby residents —
that's the reason why they didn't get the
permit.”
The issue of noise complaints in the
music industry is a complex and multi-
faceted problem that requires ongoing
communication between promoters, the
city and residents. Tjarnarbíó is currently
the main stage for artists who receive
government grants to perform and Sara
hopes it will stay that way, with one
change: “We want to be able to receive
artists in whatever form or loudness that
they choose.”
Björt Sigfinnsdóttir, LungA director (Photo: Juliette Rowland)
Words:
Iryna Zubenko
Photo:
Art Bicnick
Reykjavík: A Music City
(At A Respectable Volume)
Downtown venues threatened by noise complaints campaign
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