Skýrslurnar

Skýrslurnar is an Icelandic art collective and theatre company based in Reykjavik. Since its formation in 2013, the group has worked at the intersection of documentary theatre, archival material, and contemporary art, creating performances, installations, and published texts. The name, meaning The Reports in Icelandic, signals an interest in how data, records, and accounts circulate in public life.

Founding members include Eydís Jónsdóttir, Kári Gunnarsson, and Sigríður Helga Sigurðardóttir. The collective operates with a rotating group of collaborators from theater, journalism, and academia, emphasizing research-led processes. Their early works drew on public records and oral histories from Icelandic communities affected by policy decisions.

Approach: Skýrslurnar foregrounds documentation and process rather than plot. Performances combine live narration, verbatim material, projections of archival documents, and sound design. They often invite discussion or workshop elements, turning spectators into participants in the examination of governance, memory, and transparency.

Selected works include Ríkisskýrsla (National Report), a 2016 stage piece assembling parliamentary minutes and municipal reports; Skýrslurnar: Dagbækur (Diaries of the Reports), a 2019 multimedia installation with an online archive; and Gagnrýnin úrvinnsla (Critical Processing), a 2021 project examining data ethics in public services. The company has presented at national and international venues, including the Reykjavik Arts Festival and collaborations with the University of Iceland.

Reception: Critics have praised the group's methodological rigor and its ethical approach to sensitive material, while noting that the works demand attentive listening and often longer engagement than conventional theatre.

Current status: Skýrslurnar remains active, pursuing a program of archival research, community-participatory projects, and an ongoing dialogue with public institutions about the role of documentation in democratic life.