Culture Night 2017
Welcome to the National Museum on Culture Night and enjoy various events for the whole family. Free admission and open from 10am to 10pm.
Program:
11:00 – 12:00 A Guided Tour in English through the permanent exhibition, Making of a Nation
A Guided Tour in English through the permanent exhibition, Making of a Nation. The guests will be guided through Icelandic history from the settlement to modern times. The guided tour takes approx. 60 minutes.
14:00 A guided tour - Birds, Fjord and Iceland
Kristín Halla Baldvinsdóttir, curator of the exhibition Birds, Fjord and Iceland - Photographs by Björn Björnsson, gives a guided tour of the exhibition in Icelandic.
14:00 – 16:00 Elastic band jumping game
Let's teach the kids classic games. The elastic band jumping game was a popular game among kids in Iceland about forty years ago. It teaches agility, increases endurance and brings a smile to everyone‘s face! In short, two players stand opposite each other with their feet a hip width apart. The elastic band is stretched between them around the ankle. The third player jumps in a certain way between and on the elastic bands. The height of the elastic band is then adjusted to challenge the players. The one who can still jump the elastic band in the highest position beats the other players.
19:45 – 20:00 A short guided tour on the Exhibition Iceland in the World, the World in Iceland
A short guided tour on the Exhibition Iceland in the World, the World in Iceland, in Icelandic at 19.30 and in English at 19.45. In November 2016 the exhibition Iceland in the world, the world in Iceland was opened in the Arc Hall of the National Museum. The exhibition is based on research by anthropologists Kristín Loftsdóttir and Unnur Dís Skaptadóttir and their students at the University of Iceland. The exhibition shows that Iceland, in both past and present, has been characterized by transnationalism – just like other countries in the world. Iceland has thus been the platform for people's mobility and ideas over centuries.
20:00 – 21:30 The World in Iceland – Balkan Dance Party
In reference to the exhibition Iceland in the World, the World in Iceland in the Arc Hall of the National Museum, the Museum hosts a Dance Party with Balkan music on Culture Night. Veska Jónsdóttir, a dance instructor from Bulgaria, teaches the steps and moves and keeps up the party on Culture Night.
The Balkan countries have a rich dance culture. People of all ages dance together on various occasions. The steps in Balkan dances are either slow or fast, simple or complex and the rhythm of the music is multifaceted and unusual. Balkan dances are a good workout and increase stamina, coordination and balance. Come and dance to dynamic and lively music.
All day events:
How Transnational are You?
Take the Quiz: How transnational are you? Choose from a list of statements the one that describes you the best. Add up your score at the end and see what answer you get to the question: how transnational are you?. Share your results on social media: #nationalmuseumiceland #TheWorldInIceland #CultureNight #Transnational
Orienteering game - Birds inside and outside
Orienteering game in the National Museum of Iceland and the Culture House at Hverfisgata with a visit to the Tjörnin pond. In this game the birds inside and outside are explored. Check out the stuffed birds, a bird skeleton, living birds and carved birds. The game does not have to be solved in any specific order. The game is available in the reception of the National Museum and the Culture House.
In Iceland there are many species of birds. Some birds fly between countries every year to look for food and to lay their eggs. Others are local birds and stay in certain areas of the country. Yet other come to land to hatch their eggs but stay out at sea most of their lives.
Cat's cradle
You can create a whole series of patterns, in a play of one or two, by using a string tied in a loop. On Culture Night, guests of the National Museum of Iceland are invited to practice their finger skills by doing various Cat's cradles. This old and fun game shows what can be done with a single string of band. Material will be provided along with instructions.
Choose a colour for the bird - colouring corner in the Photo Gallery
Just think what it was like before colour photography was invented. The photographers were free to choose colours and tint the photographs by hand. Björn Björnsson (1889–1977) photographer hand tinted many of his bird photographs. But the generally did their best to copy the natural colours of the birds. Björn Björnsson was a self-taught photographer who specialized in bird photography. He hand tinted many of his bird photos.
Björn's bird pictures are unique in Icelandic photography. Björn went on many birdwatching tours, either alone or with bird scientists. Björn acquired a camera that was particularly suitable for bird photography in 1939. He was known for his uncompromising passion for his subject, travelling long and wide, waiting for the right moment to snap that shot.
Exhibitions:
Making of a Nation - Heritage and History in Iceland
Iceland in the World, the World in Iceland
Bundled-up in Blue - The Re-investigation of a Viking Grave
Birds, Fjord and Iceland. Photographs by Björn Björnsson
Thoughts of Home - Inga Lísa Middleton