What is Spuni?
spuni is the Icelandic word for improvisation. Spuni is a grassroots organization that creates space for general improvisation — open-ended situations in which people with different backgrounds and levels of experience meet on equal terms.
The work begins without a fixed destination. What matters is attention, experiment and the possibility of something none of the participants could have made alone.
Spunakvöld
Improvisation evenings open to those who want to take part.
At a Spunakvöld, the programme takes shape close to the beginning. Someone may arrive with an idea, join others on the spot or present a short work of their own.
Pieces are kept concise and the structure stays light. Shorter works generally come first; something that needs more time can come last. Enough is decided to let the evening happen, and enough is left open for it to become something else.
Selected history
Since the early 1990s, Spuni has organized open improvisation evenings in Reykjavík. Its most active periods have included 1994–95 and 2004–07. Across the documented periods, Spunakvöld brought together more than a hundred participants, from first-time music makers to established artists.
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EARLY 1990s
The first period of open Spunakvöld in Reykjavík.
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1994–95
Regular evenings and an especially active period.
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2004–07
Spunakvöld held regularly in venues around Reykjavík.