Two
new theme exhibits opened
10 - 11 December 2004
The Culture House has launched two new theme
exhibits: The Artists of the Month and Icelandic Musical
Heritage.
 The
Artist of the Month is a collaborative project of the Culture
House and a private company running the educational website skolavefurinn.is.
On display in the Culture House are selected works spanning the
artist’s career while the website has multimedia information
about his/her life and work. The objective is to stimulate the interest
of students and the public at large in art and its value for Icelandic
culture. The first artist of the month, from December through January,
is Bragi Ásgeirsson.
The objective of the exhibit on Icelandic Musical Heritage
is to present recent research into this heritage, and CD issues
of such music. The first exhibition of this series is on the Iðunn
Society’s shellac records. In 1935-36 the Iðunn Society
recorded 200 traditional Icelandic verses on 50 shellac records.
The society, in co-operation with publishing company Bad Taste Inc.,
has published the recordings on four CDs accompanied by an informative
book with a summary in English. |
The Annual General Meeting of the Icelandic National League
- cultural programme
6 November 2004
 The
Annual General Meeting of the Icelandic National League was held
in the Culture House. After the meeting itself a cultural programme
was launched by the address of the honorary consul in Chicago, Poul
Sveinbjorn Johnson. Other items on the agenda included, to name
a few, participants in the Snorri West program sharing their experiences,
a special introduction of Bjarni Jónsson´s play based
on the novel on Icelandic emigrants; “Híbýli
vindanna”, premiering in January, the new honorary member
of INL Iceland was announced and honorary guest Stefan J. Stefanson
from Gimli gave a talk. Finally the Culture House offered participants
an introduction of the history of building and the current exhibitions.
The meeting and programme were well attended, the Library Room barely
rooming everyone.
The programme closed with a reception held
by the foreign minister of Iceland.
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Opening
ceremony of the Poet of the Month – Jóhann Hjálmarsson
5 November 2004
 The
Poet of the Month in November and December is Jóhann Hjálmarsson
(b. 1939). An exhibition of his works was opened in the Library
Room on Friday 5 November. The opening ceremony was well attended
and guests enjoyed the impressive programme.
Guðrún Garðarsdóttir, deputy director, addressed
visitors and introduced the programme. Þröstur Helgason,
editor of the culture magazine of the newspaper Morgunblaðið,
gave a talk about Hjálmarsson’s works. Jóhann
Hjálmarsson, thereafter, read one of his poems. Next the
Carl Möller trio performed music composed by Mr. Möller
to lyrics from the book “Hljóðleikar” which
actor Hjalti Rögnvaldsson read to the music. The performance
was simply moving. Finally Ingibjörg Gísladóttir
from the National Collections of the National Library explained
the arrangement of the display.
Among guests were producers from the television culture programme
Mósaík as the Poet of the Month Jóhann Hjálmarsson
will be on the programme on 16 November.
The Poet of the Month is a co-operative project of the Culture House,
the National and University Library, the Institute of Gunnar Gunnarsson
and a private company running the website Skólavefurinn.is.
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An
evening concert - The Reykjavik Chamber Orchestra
31 October 2004
Sunday evening, 31 October,
the Reykjavík Chamber Orchestra performed in the Library
Room of the Culture House.
The concert was entitled Autumn stills in life and nature
as the programme consisted of three exquisitely tranquil and beautiful
works:
Sveinbjörn Sveinbjörnsson - Pianotrio
in e-minor
Jón Leifs - Variazioni pastorali op. 8 for strings to a melody
by Ludwig van Beethoven
F. Schubert – String quintet in C-major op. 163
The concert sold out and was a complete success. The performance
was excellent and the Library Room is acoustically extremely well
suited for chamber music in particular.
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The
Poet of the Month resumes
10 September 2004
 The
winter time theme exhibition The Poet of the Month resumed
as an exhibit of this winter’s first author Gunnar Gunnarsson
(1889-1975) was opened with a programme of talks and music. There
was a premier performance of the first movement of a brand new song
symphony to Gunnar Gunnarsson’s Sonnet wreath –
on Zisca and the Spring. The composer Áskell Másson
wrote the symphony this summer when staying in the artist’s
flat at the late author’s mansion in East Iceland, now a cultural
institution that has joined the co-operation celebrating the Poet
of the Month.
The Poet of the Month is a co-operative
project of the Culture House, the National and University Library,
the Institute of Gunnar Gunnarsson and a private company running
the website skolavefurinn.is. The objective is to stimulate the
interest of students and the public at large in poetry and its value
for Icelandic culture in the past and present.
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Reykjavík
Culture Night in the Culture House
21 August 2004
 The
Culture House celebrated Culture Night by hosting a Folk song concert
in the Library Room. The repertoire consisted of Icelandic folkdance
music and folk songs some of them sung to brand new traditional
melodies performed for the first time on Culture Night. Performers
were the couple Anna Pálína and Aðalsteinn along
with the Swedish folksong trio Draupner and percussionist Pétur
Grétarsson. A CD with recordings of the music will be available
in September.
In addition exhibitions and café were
open to 11 pm and no entrance fee was charged due to the festive
occation. |
The
opening of the summer exhibition in the Library Room
11 June 2004
 The
summer exhibition is entitled The Poetic Edda. Displayed is a fraction
of the large number of published editions and translations of the
Eddic poems, along with some drawings that have been printed in
special editions.
At the opening ceremony the director of the Culture House, Guðríður
Sigurðardóttir, gave a short welcome and introduction
followed by a reading from the poems by actor Hjalti Rögnvaldsson.
Finally the curator of the exhibition, Ingibjörg Gísladóttir,
gave a short guided tour, explaining the editions on display, ranging
from rare antique publications to mass issued modern editions.
The summer exhibition will continue through
August.
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Sjón
is The Poet of the Month – a new exhibition
16 April 2004
 The
author Sjón (b. 1962) is the Poet of the Month in April and
May. On display in the Library Room is a selection of Sjón's
works along with various other items related to his diverse carrier.
An opening ceremony was held on 16 April which began with Guðríður
Sigurðardóttir, director of The Culture House, outlining
Sjón's professional life. Thereafter Sjón read a poem
that he published at the age of 15. After visitors had been given
an overview of the contents of the exhibit cases in the Library
Room the klezmer band Schpilkas played their versions of a few songs
with lyrics by Sjón.
Many visited the Library Room to honour the
poet on this festive occation. |
The
exhibition Home Rule 1904 opened
3 February 2004
 The
Culture House celebrates the centenary of home rule in Iceland with
a special exhibition.
The opening ceremony included an address by the chairman of the
board of the Culture House, music and lyrics from the home rule
period, and finally Prime Minister Davíð Oddsson declared
the exhibition formally opened.
The exhibition provides insight into the progress and ambitious
ideas that typified national life in the first decade of the 20th
century.
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Poetry
at a turn of a century
23 January 2004
 A
new exhibition in the series The Poet of the Month was opened on
23 January. This time the poets number four, all of whom were active
in the beginning of the 20th century, - an era in focus due to the
centennial of home rule celebrations this year. The poets are; Matthías
Jochumsson, Ólöf frá Hlöðum, Steingrímur
Thorsteinsson and Theodóra Thoroddsen.
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Celebrations
on the centennial of Home Rule in Iceland
12 January 2004
 This
year marks the centennial of Home Rule and the appointment of the
first minister in Iceland, Mr. Hannes Hafstein. The anniversary
will be celebrated throughout the year on various occasions. The
first official event was on 12 January when the Minister of Agriculture,
Mr. Guðni Ágústsson, handed the first minister’s
writing desk over to the Culture House for preservation. The desk
had been situated in the ministry for the past decades but is now
on display in the Culture House.
Among other events is the publication of
a new stamp, opening of a special website (www.heimastjorn.is -
icelandic only), special exhibitions here in the Culture House and
elsewhere and more. |
Stekkjarstaur
(or Sheep-Cote Clod in translation) came first
12 December 2003
 The
Library Room of The Culture House filled with children eager to
meet Stekkjarstaur when he visited on Friday the 12th. They asked
him a lot of questions and wanted to see if he could bend his knees,
but his legs tend to stiffen up in the cold as he stalks the sheep,
trying to suck the ewes.
Hermes was in charge of the music, he played the instrument and
everyone sang some favourite Christmas songs together.
He is the first of the
13 Yuletide lads to come down from the mountains, and then his brothers
follow one by one. All of them stop by at the Culture House, weekdays
at 10:30 am and weekends at 2 pm.
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Opening
of the exhibit The National Museum - as it was
6 December 2003
 An
exhibition celebrating The National Museum's 140th anniversary in
2003 was opened on 6. December in the loft of the Culture House,
where the museum was housed in 1908-1950. On the occation of the
opening the Society of Friends of the Museum donated an elegant
carved drinking horn from 1759, recently spotted by the former State
Antiquarian in an antiquities store in Chopenhagen. The State Antiquarian
and The Minister for Education, Science and Culture addressed the
gathering and Icelandic songs were performed in between.
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The
exhibition; What is UNESCO's World Heritage List? opened
1 November 2003
 The
exhibition; What is UNESCO's World Heritage List? was opened with
due ceremony on 1 November. The exhibit explains the role of UNESCO's
World Heritage List and introduces Iceland’s application to
have Thingvellir and Skaftafell National Parks listed as World Heritage
sites.
A symposium was held in
conjunction with the exhibition on 5. November.
The exhibit continues
through December.
The photograph is from
Thingvellir National Park.
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Week
of Swedish culture inaugurated
1 November 2003
The inauguration of a week of Swedish culture,
1 - 8 November, took place in the Library Room of the Culture House
on 1. November. During the week various museums, libraries, cinemas
and galleries present Swedish art and artists. |
The
winter theme exhibition resumes
September 2003
The Poet of the Month is a theme exhibition,
renewed at regular intervals during the winter months. It is a co-operative
project of the Culture House, the National and University Library
and a private company running the educational website www.skolavefurinn.is.
Generally both published editions and manuscripts of poets’
works are on display, together with objects and photos connected
with them. The poets are presented on the homepages of the Skólavefur
site, together with a selection of their works.
Readings or lectures are organised in connection with the exhibitions.
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Summer
exhibition in the Library Room of the Culture House
June 2003
 The
Library Room of the Culture House is dedicated to Icelandic literary
culture. A summer exhibition entitled The Icelandic Family Sagas
(also known as Sagas of Icelanders) has now been set up in the Library
Room. The exhibition is intended to provide visitors with some insights
into this unique literary heritage, while at the same time pointing
out the large numbers of editions of the Sagas available in foreign
translations.
The summer exhibition
is a co-operative effort of the Culture House and the National and
University Library which sets up the exhibition in the Library Room.
This exhibition links
up well with the two main exhibitions currently open in the building,
Medieval Manuscripts – Eddas and Sagas and Vikings and the
New World.
The summer exhibition
will be open until the end of August.
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