Today on RÚV English Radio, an exhibition at the Reykjavík Art Museum. Doom Loop is an exhibition which has ran since October at the museum, and remains open to view until January 11. Artists Klavs Liepins & Renate Feizaka present a work which examines the idea of the "doom loop", the vicious circle; it references surveillance, climate change, authoritarianism. Darren met Renate and Klavs at the Museum to find out more about Doom Loop -...

Today on RÚV English Radio, traditional Baltic festive decorations come to the Nordic House in Iceland this Sunday! The Latvian School in Reykjavik invites families to take part in a traditional Latvian Christmas decoration workshop on Sunday, 17th of December, 1-3 pm, in the Children's Library at at the Nordic House - https://nordichouse.is/en/event/family-workshop-latvian-christmas-decorations/ Free entrance and everyone is welcome! What are the similarities between Latvian and Icelandic...

Today on RÚV English Radio, it's a new episode of Auðskilið. Atli joins Darren again to read a recent news story in simple Icelandic. We look at plans to delay the school day in the capital next year. As ever, you can practice your Icelandic by following along with the story, at https://www.ruv.is/audskilid/2023-12-08-prufad-ad-seinka-skoladeginum-399203 - we start just under the image. RÚV English Radio is daily radio coverage of everything Icelandic - news, culture, music, language, events,...

Today on RÚV English Radio, some festive puppetry coming to the Nordic House this weekend. Jólakattarins Slóð/The Christmas Cat's Trail is a 40-minute-long puppet show celebrating the Icelandic Yule Lads, Grýla, Leppalúði, and the Christmas cat, all through the eyes of a visiting American - and his dog. The show is created and performed by Mark Blashford, an instructor in Bernd Ogrodnik's Academy of the Wooden Puppet - https://worldsofpuppets.com/puppet-mastery-academy/ Darren met Mark at the...

Today on RÚV English Radio, the first Yule Lad makes his way down from the mountains. The Icelandic jólasveinar (Yuletide Lads) are descended from trolls, and originally they were bogeymen who were used to scare children. During this century they have mellowed, and they sometimes wear their best, red, suits. But they still tend to pilfer and play tricks. They are the sons of two of the most hideous ogres ever known in Iceland, Grýla and Leppalúði. Every year they come down from the mountains...

Today, RÚV English Radio takes a closer look at one book in this year's Christmas Book Flood - and samples a home baked treat. Sigurður Bragason with his wife and family has created the Skyr Recipe Book - https://bonis.is/products/skyr-recipe-book - containing a wide variety of baking and smoothie recipes, all making creative use of skyr. Darren met Sigurður to find out more about the book, and taste some of the results! RÚV English Radio is daily radio coverage of everything Icelandic -...

Today, RÚV English Radio is in Eyrarbakki. The house at Bakkastofa is where artists Ásta Kristrún Ragnarsdóttir and Valgeir Guðjónsson live; respectively. a writer, counsellor, visual stage director and storyteller, and a celebrated composer, lyricist and performer. Valgeir is the creator of "Saga Musica" - https://www.sagamusica.com/ - a suite of songs inspired by and referencing Iceland's vast literary Saga history. It is also a concert programme, performed in English, written and performed...

Today on RÚV English Radio, it's a new episode of Auðskilið. Atli joins Darren again to read a recent news story in simple Icelandic. We look at the turning on of the "Oslo tree" lights! As ever, you can practice your Icelandic by following along with the story, at https://www.ruv.is/audskilid/2023-12-04-jolaljosin-kveikt-a-osloar-trenu-398857 - we start just under the image. RÚV English Radio is daily radio coverage of everything Icelandic - news, culture, music, language, events, people,...

Today, RÚV English Radio is in the Reykjavík district of Árbær. Árbær was an established farm well into the 20th century. Since 1957 Árbær has been an open air museum - https://reykjavikcitymuseum.is/arbaer-open-air-museum - with more than 20 buildings which form a town square, a village and a farm. Most of the buildings have been relocated from central Reykjavik. Darren was guided round the museum by Helga Maureen Gylfadóttir, Head of Dept, Museum Education, Exhibits and Events at Reykjavík...

RÚV English Radio enters today's show as a homo sapien, and leaves as a Chromo Sapien... Chromo Sapiens is a monumental, multi-sensory, large-scale installation, consisting of three caves made from the artist Shoplifter's signature material: synthetic hair extensions. It is a permanent installation at Höfuðstöðin, a converted potato nursey and barracks now located in Elliðaárdalur, an extraordinary building now showing little trace of its original purposes! Creative producer and co-founder of...

Today, RÚV English Radio looks forward to the 24th of December... Icelanders give each other books on what many English speakers call Christmas Eve - the 24th of December. You might hear this heartwarming tradition, in this most literary of nations, called Jólabókaflóðið - the Christmas (or Yule) Book Flood. Darren met with Svanborg Þórdís Sigurðardóttir, product manager for foreign books at Penninn Eymundsson, to find out which books in English are leading the flood this year. RÚV English...

Today, RÚV English Radio is in Hafnarfjörður. Hafnarborg - the Hafnarfjörður Centre of Culture and Fine Art - https://hafnarborg.is/en/museum/ - was founded in 1983, becoming the home of the town's art collection. One current exhibition at the centre celebrates forty years of Hafnarborg. Curated by Hólmar Hólm, "VALUE - 40 Years Since the Founding of Hafnarborg" features works by a variety of artists - https://hafnarborg.is/en/exhibition/value/ Darren spoke to Hólmar to hear more about the...

Today on RÚV English Radio, it's a new episode of Auðskilið. Atli joins Darren again to read a recent news story in simple Icelandic. We look at the news that a ferry connecting Vestmannaeyjar to the mainland is being repaired. As ever, you can practice your Icelandic by following along with the story, at https://www.ruv.is/audskilid/2023-11-29-herjolfur-farinn-i-vidgerd-398417 - we start just under the image. RÚV English Radio is daily radio coverage of everything Icelandic - news, culture,...

Today, RÚV English Radio gets its skates on. Iceland's last roller skating derby of the year is this Saturday, at Grótta (in the Hertz sports hall, Seltjarnarnes). Icelandic team Ragnarök will go up against Traverse City from Michigan, USA. But how big is roller skating in Iceland, and what can we expect from the big game this weekend? Darren met with head non-skating official Heather Haynsen, and coach and skater Stephanie Zakas, to find out more. They are also known respectively for reasons...

Today on RÚV English Radio, an embroidery exhibition at Árbær City Library is drawing to a close. This weekend marks the last chance to see the embroidery artworks of Ásta Kristrún Ólafsdóttir at Árbær City Library - https://borgarbokasafn.is/en/event/exhibitions/exhibition-stitch-time Ásta's pictures are inspired by British tv-crime series such as Miss Marple, Barnaby and Father Brown, and are about a peaceful life and beautiful gardens. Darren meets Ásta to hear about the works, and her...

Today, RÚV English Radio is in Eyrarbakki. The house at Bakkastofa is where artists Ásta Kristrún Ragnarsdóttir and Valgeir Guðjónsson live; respectively. a writer, counsellor, visual stage director and storyteller, and a celebrated composer, lyricist and performer. Together they offer tailor-made cultural programs for small groups - https://www.bakkastofa.com/english - who come to the house from far and wide to hear Ásta's stories and Valgeir's music, in a beautiful and historic setting on...

Today on RÚV English Radio, we preview an extraordinary piece of theatre, in Reykjavík and in English, this weekend. When Virginia Gillard woke up from a stroke six years ago, to her mind, the world looked like a scene from a clown show. Aphasia, a language disorder caused by damage to the brain that controls language expression and comprehension, caused by the stroke, made her a prisoner in her own body, and the most everyday actions became a challenge. The experience has proved difficult...

Today on RÚV English Radio, why you shouldn't worry about any forthcoming trips to Iceland. There is still a lot of uncertainty about where, or whether, any volcanic eruption may take place on the Reykjanes Peninsula. One thing that can be said though, with a very high degree of certainty, is that travel to and from Iceland is not affected. If you have a trip to the country coming up, you don't need to worry that your flight will be cancelled*. This isn't 2010, when flights were grounded by...

Today on RÚV English Radio, the organisation for businesswomen of foreign origin in Iceland, FKA New Icelanders. Darren meets Veronica Guls and Marianne Ribes from the group - https://fka.is/english/ - which is a non-profit professional network for Icelandic business leaders, founded in April 1999. Its mission is to support women as they manage and grow their businesses. Before that, a quick update on events across the Reykjanes Peninsula and Grindavík. RÚV English Radio is daily radio...

Today on RÚV English Radio, an update on events in and outside Grindavík, and a look ahead. There is still no eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula, and one reading is that the chances of there being one gently decline as time goes on. A brief update first today. In the second part of today's programme, a preview of an event coming to Reykjavík's Nordic House, on Thursday 23 November. So-called "fast fashion" sees consumers buy and often discard huge amounts of poor-quality clothing. Under the...

Today on RÚV English, our focus remains firmly on events across, and under, the Reykjanes Peninsula. Darren is joined by RÚV Polski's Margrét Adamsdóttir to review the current situation, the possibility that although it is still likely, an eruption may not happen at all, and the service provided to the tens of thousands of Poles whose home is Iceland - https://www.ruv.is/polski Also today, this morning's Civil Defence press briefing took place partly in English, seeking to answer questions...

Today on RÚV English Radio, an update on events in Reykjanes, and a visit to Hveragerði. We start our programme with a look at the situation in Grindavík and across Reykjanes. As of 3pm Friday, there has been no eruption - and nearly a week has passed since the quakes that caused such damage in the town. In the second half of today's show, a trip to the LÁ Art Museum in Hveragerði, where exhibitions by artists Ragnheiður Jónsdóttir and Jakob Veigar Sigurðsson run until the end of the year -...

Today from RÚV English Radio, a double episode, looking at the eruption that hasn't yet happened, and a related story in simple Icelandic. In the first part of our programme, Darren talks to Þorvaldur Þórðarson, Professor in Volcanology and Petrology at the University of Iceland. In a conversation recorded at 3pm on Thursday afternoon, they assess the current situation on the Reykjanes Peninsula. Then, a new episode of Auðskilið, the news in simple Icelandic. Atli joins Darren to look at the...

Today, RÚV English Radio waits with the rest of the nation for the eruption, which may come at any time - or not at all. Darren is joined by his colleague Valur Grettison, a very familiar face during the last three volcanic eruptions on the Reykjanes Peninsula. They spoke at 3pm on Wednesday, and at that time, the waiting and watching continued. RÚV English Radio is daily radio coverage of everything Icelandic - news, culture, music, language, events, people, places and more, in the English...

Today on RÚV English Radio, we look at the continuing risk of a volcanic eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula, and also catch up with author Sarah Thomas ahead of two writer events this week in Reykjavík. First up, Darren talks to RÚV colleague Oddur Þórðarson about the latest situation in Grindavík. As of the time of our conversation, around 1pm on Monday, everyone is still waiting for an eruption - which may not come. Also today, author Sarah Thomas, who spoke to Darren during the summer...