What is a popsicle? Is a popsicle frozen fruit juice on a stick? What if it were just the frozen part, without the stick? Would you still think about it as a popsicle? Now what happens when you put a sponge on a stick? Is part of this new object's identity now tied to the form or the idea of a popsicle? In short, what gives a thing its thingness? These are the kinds of questions that might cross your mind once you delve into the work produced by Copenhagen art duo, PUTPUT (yes, all caps). The parents of this brain-child prefer not to have their individual names mentioned but both have had a background in Fashion Design, Graphic Design and Art Direction. Read & look on to learn more about PUTPUT's origins. -Interview and Words by Keba Robinson, pictures courtesy of PUTPUT.
Keba: What is behind the name PutPut?
PUTPUT: The name comes from the space between input and output, which in our view would have to be PUTPUT…Keba: What is the art scene like in Copenhagen?PUTPUT: It's quite a bustling scene with a dynamic mix of established galleries and art institutions infused with upcoming galleries and exhibition platforms. The concept of pop-up exhibitions seems to have gotten a firm grip on the art scene which has sparked a new wave of collaborations and independent initiatives outside the more established venues. Copenhagen also plays host to Scandinavia's biggest art fair.Keba: Who is involved?PUTPUT: At the moment we are two people involved, we both come from a background in design respectively Graphic Design and Fashion Design and have both dabbled in Photography.
Keba: How did the PutPut art collective come about?PUTPUT: We met through a mutual friend and colleague and quickly discovered a common ground in our interests. We had a lot of ideas and at one point we decided that those ideas deserved to be realized. We are both intrigued by the hierarchy of ideas and try to pay equal attention to even the smallest silliest idea as we do to big conceptually complex thoughts.
Keba: What types of gatherings do you guys have? Do you convene at any other time besides when you have art shows?PUTPUT: Well everything is still relatively new to us, we have our first solo exhibition at Galleri Naboløs now and before that we took part in group shows in Stockholm, London, Maastricht and at Copenhagen Photo Festival. We are still figuring out how to maneuver in the art world and what kind of events would be suitable for showcasing our work. Most of our work is presently based in photography which gives us a lot of opportunities in terms of showing our work on different platforms, but we are keen on venturing into three dimensional representations of our ideas and also self publishing. We'll pretty much do anything to avoid being pigeonholed and hope that we can surprise with a wide range of projects in different medias in the future.
Keba: Is PutPut the centerfold of a greater creative community?PUTPUT: We would not call ourselves the centerfold, we're more likely to be found in the personal adds under desperately seeking…
Keba: A common thread in the work produced by your collective is putting common daily objects in a different context and questioning accepted models for what things look like. Did that common thread come after you guys officially formed your collective or had you all been exploring similar concepts on your own already?
PUTPUT: The common interest in everyday objects and that particular focus in our collective work is a representation of where our minds meet. We find it increasingly fascinating to investigate the things we surround ourselves with on a daily basis and to underline or question a metaphysical relationship to the material world.Keba: Where do you see PutPut going in the future?PUTPUT: We hope to continue our development and to be able to complete and execute more projects in the same spirit and uncompromising manner. We would of course like to have large scale exhibitions, to publish books, to collaborate with interesting people, maybe do an artist residency somewhere and generally just to keep doing what we love.
~PUTPUT~
