MINDGROUP

2012-01-04T01:03:00.000Z

MINDGROUP-Happy new year

2012-01-03T09:11:00.000Z

A photo from a performance of Zombie tests and transmissions

Mindgroup wishes you a happy new year and hopes you had a merry winter solstace. Last year Mindgroup opened Zombie tests and transmissions at the Reykjavik City Theatre. Exploring the question about the state of our humanity inspired by the lines from Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett: “Was I sleeping, while the others suffered? Am I sleeping now? Tomorrow, when I wake, or think I do, what shall I say of today?”. Every performance is unique. The theme is the same but subject matters change. Everything is permitted on stage as long as its honest and demands to be heard. All mistakes are welcomed and each show starts with a carte blanche.

The RCT and Mindgroup have had a long and productive collaboration. Together we have produced the shows You are here in the eve of the economical crash and in the following year The Good People of Iceland. Both shows gathered a lot of attension and aclaim in Iceland and both shows did tour and The Good People of Iceland was invited to Wiesbaden New plays from Europe and You are here was performed in Berlin at the Nordwind Festival.

Mindgroup has adopted a new logo

Mindgroup is now developing a new show that will premier at Lókal in august 2012. The project is called: Map of the world or MOTW. MOTW is a collaborative performance with an audience. Four people stand on stage with a blank white sheet of paper covering the wall behind them. In conversation and collaboration with the audience they start to draw up a map of the world. Everything the people on stage and the audience can remember or conjure up about each country in the world. That includes memories of past holidays, facts about politics, arts and other things that define nations. Pictures, stories, music and other means are used to make the map as accurate as possible. If problems come up regarding accuracy of the map or lack of space on the map or how much time to spend on each country they are resolved in a democratic show of hands in the audience.Our reality is a constructed narrative, a fiction based on the following things: genes, geographic location, nationality and religion. Two of which are fiction and the other two have lost their bond on the human condition because of technology and science. Is there a need for a new fiction, a new construct. Who are we and more importantly who is the "other"? For more information go to http://mapoftheworld.mindgroup.me/

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Zombie Tests short Transmission

2011-10-06T23:43:00.000Z

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Zombie tests and transmissions

2011-09-18T20:30:00.000Z

Zombie tests and transmissions (2011)

About the performance

Was I sleeping, while the others suffered? Am I sleeping now? Tomorrow, when I wake, or think I do, what shall I say of today?

These lines from Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett form the question that the Theatre company Mindgroup adress in their latest production titled "Zombie tests and transmissions." Never before have we as a society been bombarded with as much news and media coverage of tragedies both local and global. Do we shield ourselves against this constant state of tragedy by raising our threshold of pain? Maybe to the point where we are uncapable of recognizing the warning signs? The young man who posts love letters to a girl on Youtube only to be ridiculed online. Why didn´t we see him until he killed the girl´s boyfriend? Or the teenage girl who dropped out of the national soccer team and took an overdose of poisoned amphetamin on her seventeenth birhtday? The hotel worker who hid her pregnancy and dumped her newborn child in a dumpster behind the hotel where she worked? The Norwegian who made a bomb and dressed up as a policeman and massacred the young people in Utey? Where there any warning signs? All these man made tragedies end up on the news but our repsonse to them of late seems to be one of utter detachment. "Zombie tests and transmissions" is a performance where this end of history, where nothing comes as a suprise anymore, where everything is as advertised, is tested. Where the question about the state of our humanity is explored. Where we deserve all the best and have no one to thank but ourselves.

"Zombie tests and transmissions" is Mindgroup´s third production at The Reykjavik City Theatre. Mindgroup are Jón Páll Eyjólfsson, Jón Atli Jónasson, Hallur Ingólfsson and Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir. They write, direct, produce, with The Reykjavik City theatre, and perform "Zombie tests and transmissions".

Zombie tests and transmissions is a performance with four performers. All technical aspects of the performance is in their hands during the performance. They cue light and sound at will and every performance is unique. The theme is the same but subject matters change. Everything is permitted on stage as long as its honest and has to be heard. All mistakes are welcomed and each show starts with a carte blanche. Each performer has rehearsed some monologues but they can decide themselves in the performance to perform them or something else entirely. Among the four performers a contract is made before each performance to play and support and express themselves in a manor they think is best. There are curtains on stage with four entrances and the performers can control them with a pulley system. Behind the curtains are a some costumes that the performers can change into. There are no set pieces on stage. The stage is preferably small with four to six footlights and a few other lights.

The performance takes about 70-80 minutes.

Mindgroup:
Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir
Hallur Ingólfsson
Jón Atli Jónasson
Jón Páll Eyjólfsson
Kjartan Þórisson

Premier:
Reykjavik City Theatre Small Stage 2011

Extended Material:
Photos from perfomance
Short Zombie Test and Transmission Video

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Zombie tests and transmissions 2011

2011-09-18T20:14:00.000Z

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Highlands in your mind

2010-03-08T00:28:00.008Z

THE HIGHLANDS IN YOUR MIND

Recent surveys in Iceland have revealed that a majority of the population of Iceland do not intend to travel to see the highlands of Iceland. But still a large percentage of the population are a opposed to the constructing of aluminum smelters and power plants in the highlands. To try to meet these contradictions Alcoa in Iceland have come up with the perfect solution. A series of DVD discs titled THE HIGHLANDS IN YOUR MIND. These breathtaking DVD disc series include marvellous aerial footage of the unspoiled nature and wildlife of the Icelandic highlands. These glorious images are accompanied by a stunningly beautiful score influx ed by the sounds of Icelandic nature and wildlife. Order your special priced copy today.

About the event

The event Highlands in your mind was an experiment in dialogue that Mindgroup did in 2006 on the 17Th of june the national day of Iceland. We went to the streets in the center of Reykjavík proposed a dialogue with the general public on conserving nature digitally in order to expedite damming of glacial rivers. It was an experiment in manufacturing consent by proposing a very simple argument: if we conserve nature digitally then we can dispense with nature conservation and fully harness the power of our highlands. We presented ourselves as working for the consulting and marketing firm Mindgroup working for ALCOA in Iceland. As soon as people consented to the idea of digitally conserving nature we proposed numerous ways of utilizing the highlands for projects such as a storage area for nuclear waste, a weapons factory and even an Nuclear Power Plant.

Reykjavík (2006)

Mindgroup:
Egill Anton Pálsson
Jón Atli Jónasson
Stefán Jónsson
Jón Páll Eyjólfsson

Extended material Coming soon

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IMDA Icelandic Missile Defense Agency

2010-03-08T00:27:00.008Z

IMDA

The Icelandic Missile Defense Agency is an experiment in dialogue about defense and weapons in a modern democracy. Mindgroup raised a tent in the center of Reykjavík and promoted the foundation of the Icelandic Missile Defense Agency. The objective of IMDA is to cement an alliance with western organizations such as NATO, NMD and the United States of America in order to set up an missile defense system in Iceland. Mindgroup promoted the financial gains by setting up a missile defense system and how the founding of IMDA would be a logical step to signing to the "Coalition of the willing" and supporting the war in Iraq.

The public was invited to watch a promotional video for IMDA which we "borrowed" from the website of NMD ( The American National Missile Defense agency) and added the logo for IMDA and a slogan which was designed by Mindgroup. Mindgroup set up a "shooting gallery" where children and adults could test their aim and win a IMDA balloon and the children got a sticker saying "a gunner for peace". We also offered the public some brochures on IMDA and a chance to become a "Patriot" for the sum of 1000 Icelandic krones. In the tent we offered free coffee and there was a cake bazaar too raise funds for the missile defense agency. The Cake bazaar offered traditional Icelandic pastry with the starting price of one million Icelandic krones. Mindgroup also engaged the public and offed them the opportunity to sign up as a supporter and get a newsletter monthly on the development of IMDA.

The experiment took place in Reykjavik on the 17Th of june, Icelandic Independence Day (2007)

Mindgroup:
Friðgeir Einarsson
Karl Ágúst Þorgeirsson
Jón Atli Jónasson
Jón Páll Eyjólfsson

Video Web Short, Promo 1 "Baking for Peace"
Photos Cake workshop

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Happy new year-Happy New Iceland

2010-03-08T00:26:00.008Z

Happy New Year – Iceland
(also known as: Conference) with artists from Denmark, Sweden, Iceland

In the period June 16.-29. 2008, five artists from Denmark, Sweden and Iceland were gathered 10 days in Copenhagen and 4 days in Iceland for a workshop with the working title ”Conference”.

Happy New Year – Iceland

The idea for the concept ”Happy New Year – Iceland” came from an urge to do something specific for the community in Iceland during the four days of the workshop in Iceland. We talked about the economic situation in Iceland and how it made people feel. One of the artists found a paper on a study made by the worldbank about poverty. It said that poverty is not a question about money but about feeling poor, without any hope for changing your own situation. That somehow describes the general feeling for a lot of icelandic people. In the first days of the workshop we had been talking a lot about the power in coaching and NLP and how it can change a persons emotional life. Inspired by that we found the concept of community coaching.

The idea was to create a new years party for icelandic people, where the concept of a new years eve where used to its full, for the purpose of giving the participants an experience of going from and the ”old years” state to another new one.

“New Year is the time to say a bye to the past things and look forward into the future with heart full of love and eyes filled with dreams. People have many dreams associated with New Year. Before sunrise on the New Year's Day, on New Years Eve, many new resolutions give birth to many new hopes for the year that will arrive.“

We wanted to create the atmosphere and the emotions that’s a part of a new years eve and using the tools of coaching, we wanted people as a group and community of Iceland to rebuild the mental image of Iceland into something prosperous.

In the workshop we collected and created the different kinds of material for a new years eve. The new years music, new years speeches, our own TV version of the presidential new years speech, a Danish actress learned the Icelandic anthem and we created different kinds of games to create a feeling of being a community, lifting the responsibilities of society together. We also found out questions to ask about peoples wishes for a new year and experiences in the “old” year.

The performance

We planned to do the pilot for the performance on the last day of the workshop that was saturday june 28. 2008.

The plan was to set up a huge tent in downtown Reykjavik on a spot where a lot of people are passing by. We introduced the idea about having a new years party in the middle of June to the icelandic medias and we and the story of the project went immediately in newspaper, web-TV, radio. We also send out mail-flyers and made a webpage for the project.

For this outdoor event we had checked the weather forecast in the days before and it said it was going to be a perfect weather. On the day of the event we found out that it was going to be very close to storm and it would be impossible to put up the huge tent. It was also getting cold, due to the heavy wind, so we couldn’t expect people to stay for a long performance of the 2 hours we had planned. After considering the different kinds of options we decided to stay to the concept, but only using the basic of the tent for new years decoration and instead of one long new years performance, we decided to do a lot of 10 min. new years event.

From 14 o’clock people responding to our invitation in the medias or mailflyer began to show up. People passing by where also invited to this event. They got champagne, got new years hats, we where playing well known new years music and together with the actors they counted down from ten and jumped into the new year. To say the magic words “Happy New Year”, was overwhelming for some and we found out that the ritual has a lot of power and emotions build in. People huged and smiled and became happy about the concept of a new beginning. Because of the fact that we did it in the middle of the summer, people where laughing about the idea and opened up for the discussion about their own experience of the situation in Iceland and the hopes for a new Iceland. There was an open microphone for people to announce a speech or a new year wish. People where spontaneous happy about the event and participated in all the different kinds of new year happenings.

After two hours and approximately 10 pieces of “new years”, the show was over and we packed all the gear down.

HAPPY NEW YEAR - HAPPY NEW ICELAND

Mindgroup:

Ellen Nyman

Tue Biering

Nicolaj Spangaa

Jón Páll Eyjólfsson

Jón Atli Jónasson

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Partiland

2010-03-08T00:25:00.016Z

About the play

Partiland is a celebration, a celebration of our Independence as a democracy, a celebration of the Icelandic republic. Harking back to the founding days of the Icelandic republic. Partiland is a web of speeches, staged scenes, pancake baking, an appearance from the "funniest man in Iceland" coffee brewing with some musical numbers thrown in, audience members drinking free Coke on stage, free balloons, song and dance from an old peoples sports club and of course a dog show and a techno dance number and ending with a all womens choir singing joined on stage by their daughters all dressed in white. Partiland borrows its atmosphere from the "commoners" of Iceland and their entertainment tradition including the obligatory drag act. It is an event echoing our ritualistic celebration of our Independence.

Partiland is also deals with democracy and the object is to investigate what democracy means to us and what our idea of democracy is in Iceland. Some would say that we are a thriving democracy and that it has a rich history in Iceland and that we have been as a nation in the forefront of democratic practice.

But the idea of democracy that we investigate in Partiland has nothing to do with governmental practice. Democracy is in it self an experiment and it is only by common practice and the inspection of democracy that we can measure its strength. We would even go so far as saying that democracy has nothing to do with politics. We believe that the state of democracy is revealed in the image that the people have of the country that they inhabit. Their views, and self-image will always be the foundation on which we base our democracy. The hope is that the way that we celebrate our democracy will reveal the true measurement of the state of our democracy.

Partiland was part of the Reykjavík Art Festival in 2007 and in collaboration with the National Theatre of Iceland.

Mindgroup:
Erlingur Gíslason
Björn Thors
Laufey ElíasdóttirSheba Ojienda
Friðgeir Einarsson
Jón Atli Jónasson
Jón Páll Eyjólfsson
Rúnar Júliusson
Glóð Sports Club
The Asociaton of Icelandic Dog Breeders: Chihuahua Branch
Ólöf Arnalds
Vox Feminae
Margrét J. Pálmadóttir

Premier
National Theatre of Iceland. 2007 Big stage

Extended material

Performance Photos

Workshops and rehearsals Photos

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Happy New Iceland Change your mental image

2010-03-07T23:02:00.003Z

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About Happy new year-Happy new Iceland

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Happy New Iceland Moving towards pleasure

2010-03-07T22:56:00.002Z

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Happy New Iceland Change of time in a time of change

2010-03-07T22:47:00.004Z

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Happy New Iceland the Short

2010-03-07T22:43:00.003Z

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The Good People of Iceland Machine 2009

2010-03-07T22:18:00.003Z

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About The Good People of Iceland

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You are here Rehearsals 2009

2010-03-07T21:29:00.004Z

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About You are here

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The Good People of Iceland

2010-03-07T21:14:00.001Z

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You are here "Umbeki"

2010-03-07T17:50:00.004Z

Happy new year-Happy new Iceland 2008

2010-03-07T17:04:00.005Z

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You are here Machine 2009

2010-03-07T16:52:00.006Z

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You are here Trailer

2010-03-07T15:04:00.005Z

Devised theatre

2010-03-07T14:39:00.003Z

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Devised theatre (also called collaborative creation, particularly in the United States [1]) is a form of theatre where the script originates not from a writer or writers, but from collaborative, usually improvisatory, work by a group of people (usually, but not necessarily, the performers). This is similar to commedia dell'arte and street theatre such as busking.
It is not always distinguishable from improvisational theatre but by the time a devised piece is presented to the public, it usually has a fixed form: the improvisation is confined to the creation process, and either a writer, a director, or the performers themselves, will have decided exactly what is to be included and the running sequence.

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Machine

2010-03-07T14:18:00.002Z

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A machine is any device that uses energy to perform some activity. In common usage, the meaning is that of a device having parts that perform or assist in performing any type of work. A simple machine is a device that transforms the direction or magnitude of a force without consuming any energy. The word "machine" is derived from the Latin word machina.[1]

You are here Machine/workshop 2008

2010-03-07T14:02:00.004Z

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IMDA Icelandic Missile Defence Agency Cake workshop 2007

2010-03-07T13:45:00.004Z

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Partiland Performance 2007

2010-03-07T13:38:00.005Z

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