Sundown Salon #22: JANFAMILY - PLANS FOR OTHER DAYS

DATE: October 30th, 2005

ORGANIZED WITH: Nina Jan Beier, Marie Jan Lund, Chosil Jan Kil, Josephine Jan Michau

While on their world tour, Nina Jan Beier, Marie Jan Lund, Chosil Jan Kil and Josephine Jan Michau of Janfamily visit Sundown Drive to stage an afternoon of projects and events.

Janfamily is a group of young artists that share a unique approach to life. They explore the things that surround them, and together they create alternatives to everyday routines. Janfamily – 'Plans for other days', their first publication, is a manifesto of their philosophy: it is a ‘how to’ book, a list of proposals on how to relate to our own surroundings. By offering solutions to problems such as ‘How to soften a challenge’ and ‘How not to do what you did yesterday’, we are invited to revisit the simple things in life that are often ignored or unnoticed.

Based in London, Jan is a family of artists and designers working in a wide variety of forms. The work they produce is not media-specific but is tied together by a common approach based on personal fascinations. Projects take such different forms as songs, clothes, photography and films.

Janfamily was founded in London in 2004 by Royal College of Art graduates Nina Jan Beier and Marie Jan Lund. They were later joined by Josephine Jan Michau, Daniel Jan Mair, Chosil Jan Kil and Makin Jan Ma. Janfamily has self-published two book projects with great success and are currently producing a series of exhibitions in Tokyo, Milan, Hong Kong, London and Copenhagen.

the instructions for the salon project:

'How to be taken away'

Leave your jumper or T-shirt on the wall.
Pick a jumper or T-shirt from the wall.
Embroider something on it you have said or
someone has said to you, which has stayed
in your mind. Put it back on the wall.
Before you leave take home the one you brought.

How to get to know someone

I met Andis in Copenhagen in august 6, 2005. He came and asked me if we had met before, I replied that it was a cheesy pick up line. He never gave up upon me and kept bringing me beer. He asked me if I wanted to move in with him, whilst I was in Copenhagen. He came to pick me up with his van and I moved into his flat on the following Tuesday.

Andis says everything what he really thinks. He likes fat girls with wanky legs. I didn’t know if he was referring me. He says he finds me comfortable to hang out with. I find him very similar to me in many ways.

In his flat nothing seems to be proper, yet everything works. He doesn’t have taps in his kitchen. He likes drinking coke so he doesn’t need water. He also likes junk food, so it does not matter that he cannot cook in his kitchen. He likes drinking coffee in the morning, at least 2 cups of them. He smokes cigarettes constantly but he doesn’t smoke weed. He does not take drugs but he tried most of them for life experience. He also tried a hooker who was a present from his friends for his birthday few years ago. Many of his girlfriends didn’t like that. I spend most of time on his bed watching him. He has a small flat so it is not so difficult to clean up, he says. I look at him more than he does, but if I don’t look at him, he looks at me.

Andis is from Latvia which country I had never heard of. Andis drives a van but also he makes music with Jamie, an English guy. They are called Ape Recorder. Andis finally remembers my name after 3 days living together. He does not remember names so much. Andis likes watching films a lot. Before he goes to work, he likes to choose a film for me, whilst he is away. He likes me because I make him feeling like having a holiday, he thinks we will be good friends in a near future. Andis collects airplane-models because he likes airplanes. He wants to have a small airport one day, he also likes to collect funny Japanese products, he has been to Tokyo and he liked it very much because he thought Japanese girls liked him. He also thinks that the influence of the Western culture makes Japanese people kill themselves. He tells me about his ex-wife a lot, how much he loved her or still loves her. She cheated on him. He hates cheating. One day, he would love to settle down with a woman and have kids with her. He likes that he is my muse. He thinks it makes him feel special.

How to cover your back
Haggerston park 19th of March 2005

My sister Soffi was visiting from Denmark that week. She went with me to buy juice and plastic cups. We were the first to arrive to the park and I called Marie to tell her which spot we had chosen.

Chosil was hung over and quiet that day. I recognized that she was doing us a big favor by turning up.

I was worried not enough people would come. I called Makin and his new girlfriend Hana. They were still at home but promised to come straight away.

Chad had just moved in to our house two days before. I had met him in the kitchen and negotiated for him to come to the park. I had to promise that I would let him photograph me for some fashion thing in return. I never did. We still bargain every time we do each other favors.

Hei brought Momo, Tomoko and Haruka. I met Tomoko and Haruka in Japan when we went there last summer. Tomoko had made Japanese red bean and sesame cakes for everyone.

I had just met Momo the night before. I liked her and knew that Hei did too. She has been around ever since that day.

Hei also brought Alexander and Ollie. They carried an accordion and a guitar. When we lied down they were playing and didn’t join us.

Afterwards Chad, Hana, Mike and Hei tried the instruments. Chosil had talked about learning to play the accordion for a long time. I tried to push her to get Alexander to teach her some. She told me there was too much competition.

A month later we got her an accordion and Alexander as a teacher for her birthday.

Hei’s friend Mike was not sure if he should join or not. I suggested him to lie down next to Makin. He did.

I had not seen Jim for a long time. He seemed happy and his hair had grown long. He brought along some friends. I think that was the first time I met Matthauish. I remember thinking he was funny. I still think that. We talked about all moving to Berlin. Jim also brought a guy who I had met before at a party. I do not remember his name now but I remember he was very calm and told me he was something like a physiotherapist. I haven’t seen him since. I am not sure but I don’t think I had ever talked to the last guy that came along, not before or since. When we were lying down they were all making jokes.

Benjamin was busy fixing his bike and I had to hurry him up to make him help me carry the cakes and the blankets to the park.
Nina and Soffi were already there.

Patrick was one of the first to come and had brought some food. He is always happy to come and good to have around.

Anna was back from Paris for the weekend to be with Paul. She had brought him and he had brought the papers. Their weekends are very precious and reading the papers together at the weekends, is one of the things Anna miss most when she is away. I was very happy that they found a way to be together, read the papers, and still be with us in the park. Later Anna and I moved a blanket away from the others and she told me how she had been.

We hadn’t seen Ginger Anna since last summer, but had met her the day before. She was very pregnant and I thought she was very beautiful. She had brought Jack with her. When she laid down in the circle everyone seemed concerned that she was comfortable. Two weeks later their little Otto came around.

It was nice that Helga came, but I can’t really remember how she was or what we talked about.

Earlier on that day I had bumped into our neighbor Manu. She was with a guy that had just moved into her flat. I invited them but was surprised that they came.

The new guy didn’t want to lie down but sat next to me while I was taking the picture telling me what he thought it all meant. When I meet him now he gives me a hug. We haven’t spoken since and I still don’t know his name. We all stayed in the park until it got too cold.

JanFamily er et nyt succesfuldt kunstnerkollektiv baseret i London, som allerede nu er blevet rekrutteret til at lave en ny stor bog hos det internationale kunstbog forlag, Booth-Clibborn Editions og en compilation hos Gestalten Verlag. Den nystiftede familie har flere udstillinger bag sig og bogen distribueres internationalt. Hver for sig har de både musikvideoer, pladecovers, bøger, tøjdesign, modeserier, kunstudstillinger samt meget andet bag sig og familien spås af flere internationale magasiner en stor fremtid.