M HKA Ensembles

Works in .

*“The basis of our work is ʻBehaviouralismʼ. Conceptual art has reached a contended middle age and is no longer the driving force it used to be. Neither has concept-based Action artʼ the impetus any longer to fulfill the role of developing Actions as an art form. A tramp in the road, with his almost complete incapability in the ʻdirectional thinkingʼ used in conceptual art, has a more potent and direct effect on the people around him than a conceptual artist ever could. A tramp is someone to emulate. His swaying stance alone is a sufficient action. It is enough that he is there, ʻbeingʼ, rather than involving himself directly with an activity in order to resolve a situation, the tramp manipulates his behaviour.(...) In our performances we try to practise non-discrimination in the actions we make, and use dicrimination only in the area of Behaviour. In these behavioral performances, the actions made are used only to promote or change certain aspects of our behaviour. The actions in themselves are worthless.”* - Reindeer Werk- From 1972 to 1980, the artists Thom Puckey (b. 1948, London) and Dirk Larsen (b. 1951, Copenhagen) formed the performance-duo Reindeer Work. They brought pure, non-theatrical performances to a live public, and were not averse to extreme behavior and even self-mutilation. Active audience participation was the order of the day. The artwork is no longer a representation of reality, but rather a new reality where artwork and experience coincide. These performances were entitled: 'Behaviour Workshops' and later 'Predictions'. The aim was to make people aware of their 'conditioned behavior'. This anti-conformity also translated itself on the wider platform of the punk revolution. “The basis of our work is ʻBehaviouralismʼ. Conceptual art has reached a contended middle age and is no longer the driving force it used to be. Neither has concept-based 'Action artʼ the impetus any longer to fulfill the role of developing Actions as an art form. A tramp in the road, with his almost complete incapability in the ʻdirectional thinkingʼ used in conceptual art, has a more potent and direct effect on the people around him than a conceptual artist ever could. A tramp is someone to emulate. His swaying stance alone is a sufficient action. It is enough that he is there, ʻbeingʼ, rather than involving himself directly with an activity in order to resolve a situation, the tramp manipulates his behaviour.(...) In our performances we try to practise non-discrimination in the actions we make, and use discrimination only in the area of Behaviour. In these behavioral performances, the actions made are used only to promote or change certain aspects of our behaviour. The actions in themselves are worthless.” – Thom Puckey