Kipple is one of those events that beforehand you’ve got no sodding idea what it’ll be about or like but it’s intriguing enough to make you suspect it’ll be something special, or at least worth a punt.
Kipple is a term popularised by insanely great sci-fi writer Philip K Dick referring to “unwanted or useless junk that tends to reproduce itself.” Artist Julian Butler and film maker Stephen Earl Rogers have taken this notion and applied it to the medium of video mashups.
Collaboratively Eagle & Feather have been putting their own interpretation on the term Kipple for a number of years. Through regular visits to charity shops, public libraries and jumble sales they have amassed a collection of absurdly peripheral and esoteric videotapes, selected for their distinct peculiarity.
Theirs is an attempt at alchemy, taking base material and transforming it, by vaious means – editing manipulation, combining and reducing – into something that in imbued with new qualities. Turning kipple into non-kipple, at least temporarily.
The result reminds me of the work of Chris Morris, which is no bad thing. Here’s a couple of examples.
More YouTube here (thanks to BiNS for that tip)
The Kipple Night takes place on Thursday 22nd November, 6.00 – 8.30pm at the Periscope artists project space Unit 19, Lee Bank Business Centre, 55 Holloway Head, B1 1HP. For more details call Tel: 0121 643 6040 or email info@periscopeprojects.org. No price listed so I’m assuming it’s free.