In his performance “Wunderkammer”, Henrik Koppen explores the format of a cabinet of curiosities as a storytelling technique, and an attempt of making sense of the world, while still leaving space for wonder. Cabinets of curiosities gained popularity in the renaissance and age of enlightenment as collections of odd objects, natural rarities, and man made artifacts.

Koppen’s works often take the form of poetic rituals where he combines elements from religion, mythology, history and science. Through his performance art practice he seeks to explore our relation to our environments and the materiality of the world, questioning the narratives and conventions that shape our reality. Lately, his works have been exploring alchemy and our innate need for miracles from a queer perspective.

“Hér á ég heima” is a video art installation that explores themes of rooting, resilience, and belonging in a new environment. The piece stands as a tribute to Iceland’s immigrant community, honoring their journeys and the strength it takes to create a new home.

Bio:
Yuliana Palacios is a dancer and choreographer from Mexico who has been based in Iceland since 2016. She is the founder of Boreal Screendance Festival in Akureyri. Among her main objectives is to foment interdisciplinary collaboration between artists and promote international cooperation, transcending borders and cultural norms. Yuliana is currently enrolled at the MA programme in Performing Arts at Iceland University of the Arts, graduating this spring 2025.

PMDD is a struggle. I need an escape from it. I find that escape in the calming realms of easy-listening music but somehow the music just adds to the surreality of the disorder.

Bio:
Eygló Höskuldsdóttir Viborg is a Reykjavík based composer and performance artist known for her innovative blending of music and performance art. Her way into the world of performance art was through sound design and compositions for theater, and has evolved so that she performs, writes and creates work independently and in collaborations with others. Eygló approaches her material through the lens of music but her work has a contact surface to both theater and fine art.

Eygló Has been an active member in the world of theater. She wrote them usic for the children’s play, Hvíta Tígrisdýrið, which was staged in Borgarleikhúsið (Reykjavík city theater), and got praised for her mysterious and thought-provoking music. As Alter Eygló she has developed an alter ego who writes an performs original karaoke music, which she has made a show around. She was a gues on the radio show Ólátagarður on RÚV, shere she talked about her music and career. Eygló has written a radio play for RÚV called Fjöldasamkoman á Gjögri, which was premiered in 2022. She also co-wrote and performed in the play Á vísum stað, which was shown in Borgarleikhúsið in 2021. By her diverse and original work Eygló Höskuldsdóttir Viborg has confirmed herself as one of the most interesting contemporary artists in Iceland.

Eygló earned her Bachelor of Music degree in Composition from Berklee College of Music in 2017. Just a year later, she was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship, which enabled her to pursue a Master of Music in Concert Music Composition at New York University, where she studied under the mentorship of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Julia Wolfe and acclaimed composer Robert Honstein. She completed her M.Mus in 2020. In June 2025 Eygló will receive a Master of Arts degree in performance art from Iceland University of the Arts.

This thing is about annoying facts annoying need to know annoying silence annoying performance annoying mistakes annoying sugar intake annoying posture annoying elevator ride annoying smell of someone else’s perfume annoying glass of water half full half warm half you annoying breaths annoying closed windows annoying ambition annoying fridge light annoying receipts annoying dreams annoying promises annoying hair in the sink annoying doubt annoying overexposure annoying shoes that don’t fit annoying boxes in the hallway annoying old toothbrush annoying full ashtray annoying waiting room annoying light in the wrong place annoying memories that come too early annoying the way you sleep annoying the way you say “whatever” annoying notifications annoying spam folder annoying unpaid bills annoying voice in the walls annoying crumbs in the bed annoying playlist algorithm annoying neighbours with their loud healing annoying socks that disappear annoying shoulder pain annoying little optimism annoying romantic subplot annoying cold tea annoying nostalgia annoying urge to text someone who forgot you

Bio:
Gosia Trajkowska is a performer, visual artist, songwriter, and theatre director who thrives in collaborative duos. Together with Vera Popova, she has directed performances such as CRIMEA, Pink Bitterness. Princesses, How To Disappear Completely, Dream Institution, How To Do Things Together, and the three-episode podcast Beethoven Was a Lesbian. Alongside Agata Lech, she co-directed and created two poetry films: A Year Without Summer and Ballad for Balconies.Her practice spans performance, visual arts, and fiction, exploring the possibilities and limitations of language and its potential.

A graduate of Visual Arts at the Academy of Art in Szczecin, she is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Performing Arts at the Iceland University of the Arts.

Órætt
Sviðsett heimildaverk, gjörningur sem ekki er tilbúinn. Samt er komið að þessu og ég er alls ekki viss um að það sé rétti tíminn núna.

Bio:
Aðalheiður hefur hefur unnið með myndform, gjörninga og textagerð. Hún skapar orðmyndir útfrá leslblindu sinni og er gaf út orðaleikinn Orðu.
Verk hennar eru í senn samfélagsleg rýni, þar sem óskrifaðum reglum er fléttað saman við samheingið. Fyrsti opinberi fyrirlestur hennar var um hvað vantaði karlægar kennslubækur í sagnfræði. Í heimspekinámi sínu fékk hún viðurkenningu fyrir nýsköpunarverkefni um forgangsröðun á biðlistum í heilbrigðisþjónustu sem þá hafði ekki verið rannsakað áður. Eftir að hafa starfað tuttugu ár við breytingastjórnun og greiningar var komið því að breyta um stefnu. En þá tók lífið óvænt aðra stefnu sem þarf að ræða.

Few of the challenges I face as Inuk in this institution

Bio:
I am an actor, director and a teacher from Greenland. I’ve been acting since childhood, became a teacher and later started directing. I also hold various workshops, such as drama and Greenlandic maskdance. Through arts, I strive to create a space that functions as a mirror of our society’s reality – unmasking reality. Create a space for a meaningful conversations that aims to build unity in diversity.