The Archive of Actions
Photo documentations of performances in the public space, 2008-2013
Project initiated in November 2007, containing 310 actions performed in everyday life. In the work with the archive, Kanslibyrån produces interventions that question normal behaviour. The bureau perceives the concept of normality as a prison: holding everyone in captivity, functioning as an effective control mechanism that evaluates our abilities as productive citizens, determining if we are able to live as expected in society. By stepping out of the boundaries of normality, denouncing rationality and obedience, Kanslibyrån is making the claim that all actions matter and all situations have a subversive and critical potential. By being irrational, illogical or act on a whim or impulse, uncertainty is created, and this uncertainty makes way for new thoughts and ideas. With a subtle and humble approach, each action has been planned, executed and documented with the aim at building up a vast collection.
Artist's Bio:
An activist group and artistic institution created by Per-Arne Sträng and John Huntington. The bureau was founded in 2007 when the artists studied at the Umeå Academy of Fine Arts in Sweden. In the collaboration Per-Arne’s work with reinterpreting the everyday life and immediate surroundings meets John’s usage of art as infiltration of the public sphere. Kanslibyrån is fighting a battle in everyday life, where rationality, obedience and effectiveness are questioned and scrutinized. They try to pinpoint situations where resistance is necessary. From the headquarters in Stockholm, Kanslibyrån’s activities and ideals are transmitted to public, private and artistic environments in Sweden and abroad.