Reykjavik Arts Festival will take place 1-16 June 2024.

12 hour long stage performance where guests are free to come and go whenever they want. The work is mostly conducted in Icelandic, with some parts in English. At one point, Polish is spoken with an Icelandic interpretation. The work is interpreted in Icelandic Sign Language from start to finish. Participants are asked a set of questions by the hosts and it is therefore impossible to say exactly what will happen on stage and what will be said. You can expect the topics of birth, sex and death. Children are welcome if accompanied by adults. Due to the uncertainties of the performance, not all parts may be suitable for children. Parents must assess this for themselves.

Sound volume is mild and the soundscape mostly consists of spoken language. Mild, daylight-like lighting in the space. A confetti cannon is fired at one point. The audience will be notified beforehand. Audience participation is not required but they are invited to try some food.

12 Last Songs

Dance performance on the largest stage of the Reykjavik City Theatre with limited wheelchair places. Contact theatre ticket office to book a wheelchair place. The performance contains loud music and sound volume is generally high. The audience section is dimmed and theatrical lighting is use. No strobe or blinking lights. The show involves masks and smoke. One dancer will fly above the stage. The audience may be encouraged to clap and they will be asked to dance in their seats. The work is in Icelandic, with interpretation for deaf and hard of hearing, as well as audio description. Suitable for children.

Duets

Dance piece, not dependent on language skills. Suitable for hard-of-hearing. Increased access for blind and visually impaired people who are invited to arrive earlier and get to know the stage and the dancers. To make use of this opportunity, please email tinna@artfest.is to book.

The audience walks into the space and onto the stage which is filled with thick smoke, which will recede as the work goes on. The set is made from thin silk, located above the audience, which surrounds the space where the audience sits. The audience is invited to sit or lie inside the set on soft mats. There is no direct audience participation. The lights are low and the audience are invited to connect to other senses.

Twice during the performance, all the lights go out for around 30 seconds and guests may become disoriented in the space. The sound volume is low. Seats are available for those who need. Good wheelchair access.

Flökt

Visual arts exhibition. Not dependent on language skills. Information on works is in Icelandic and English. Conventional gallery lighting, including spotlights. Some of the walls are high up on the walls. Guests need to take off their shoes on arrival. Suitable for children.

Future Fragments

Video installation. New Icelanders and people with foreign backgrounds are particularly encouraged to visit. Suitable for children. Not dependent on language skills.

Here is my home

Visual arts exhibition, not dependent on language skills. Information on works is in Icelandic and English. Suitable for children. Conventional gallery lighting.

In Mid-Air

Outdoor sculpture exhibition. A workshop on making treats for birds also takes place on opening day. Recipes and instructions in Icelandic and English, with support provided for those who speak neither language. No language skills needed to enjoy the exhibition. Workshop recipes contain seeds that may cause allergic reaction. Everyday sounds of people to be expected indoors and bird noises by the pond. Exhibition takes place in daylight. Birds may fly over guests by the pond. Workshop participtans are not required to answer any questions. Nobody will be put on the spot. Participants are invited to shape and make food. Suitable for children. Children aged 6 and younger must be accompanied by adults during workshop.

Interbite: feathers, fingers, antennas

Musicial concert with no intermission. Not dependent on language skills. Icelandic lyrics will be in the printed programme and the PDF version on the orchestra’s website. Information about the programme in English is available on the orchestra’s website. The event is suitable for young people but not children.

Sudden loud noises. Volume ranges from low to the loudest that an acoustic symphony orchestra can make. Conventional concert lighting in Eldborg hall.

Mahler nr. 3

Dance piece where guests can walk around the space to experience the work from different perspectives. Seats available for those who need. Performers and guests share the floor, with no conventional stage. No direct audience participation required and you can stand to the side. Not dependent on language skills. The performance includes sudden loud noises and sound volume is occasionally very high for a short while at a time. The dancers have lights on their bodies and the space is partly lit but never completely dark. Not suitable for young children.

Materize

Music event where live music is performed by a symphony orchestra in a large, open space. Not dependent on language skills. Sound volume is average. Texts in the space will be in Icelandic and English. Guests can walk around the room as they wish, to experience the installation from different perspectives. Seats available for those who need. No audience participation expected. Not suitable for young children. 

Metaxis

Music and visual arts installation. Not dependent on language skills. Information on the work is in English and Icelandic. Conventional stage lighting. Sound volume 100-120 db. Suitable for children. 

Niður – An Icelandic Circus on Ljósagangur

Events on the Main Festival Programme

Music event. Not dependent on language skills. Simple concert lighting. Bright stage lighting, lights dimmed in hall. Sound volume typical for concert. 

Apex Anima & FRZNTE

A discussion panel in Icelandic and English. Suitable for children.

Second hand knowledge: Script reading in Icelandic, English script available if needed. Mild, bright lighting. Guests are invited to take part in reading.

Open stage: Performance of works-in-progress. Since they are still being developed, there may be unexpected incidents. Simple lighting, audience lights dimmed. Ends with a discussion where the audience is invited to ask questions. 

Danceokee: Fairly dim lighting with low, narrow lights. Audience invited to get out on the floor and dance along. 

Dance at the Hub

Musical performance. Not dependent on language skills. Simple concert lighting, stage brightly lit and lights dimmed in audience. Sound volume is typical for concert. Suitable for children. 

Djasskrakkar

Music event. Not dependent on language skills. Fashing images, strobe and bright artificial lighting. Sound volume is high. 

Drengurinn fengurinn

Music event with average sound volume. Lit naturally with a chance of further lighting by stage. Guests are invited to dance if they wish. Suitable for children. 

Drif

Course in Icelandic with instructions also available in English. Suitable for children. Participants are invited to make costumes ans masks. Loud noises may occur. Participants play instruments, possibly loudly. Mild lighting during course. Lights dimmed in audience and stage lit at the end of the course. Everyone takes part, participants are addressed as a group and nobody will be put on the spot. Participants compose lyrics and it’s impossible to know what they will write about. 

Family Punk

Audio piece where many voices read texts in different languages. The second part of the event consists of a discussion in English. Audience are invited to ask questions and take part in the conversation. Hall lit with daylight and mild indoor lighting. 

Voice Estuary

Not dependent on language skills. Both complete darkness and very bright, unnatural light. Strobe lights and smoke are used. 

Partial nudity and sexual references as well as sexual behaviour. 

POPera

This experience takes part in English. Natural lighting. Quiet background music and people talking. Guests are invited to take part in a walk, try food and plants, and take part in cooking a meal, as they wish. 

Trash Feast

Participatory event in Icelandic where the audience are guests at a party. The audience is invited to participate but can also walk around the space without directly taking part. Audience members may be asked a question but they are free to decide whether they want to respond or not. The sound volume is average, music and background sounds. Daylight and low lights in space.

The work deals with ageism and ways to fight that through speeches made by the artists.

Additional Access Information for Events

Events on the Main Festival Programme

Events in the Festival Hub