Give a little bit



Give a little bit

 30.10.2015 – 29.11.2015
opening: October 30th, 6pm

Alkovi Galleria
Helsinginkatu 19
Kallio
Helsinki
Finland



Takala & Befeldt write about their piece:

Give a little bit takes the format of a karaoke song video as a subtle means to invite the viewer to participate, to play along even if it's just by reading the lyrics of the song in their head. The video takes place at a career fair where corporate representatives stand at their booths all day, giving out information about career opportunities to people who have paid an entrance fee. They offer giveaways such as chocolates, pens and printed materials. These ‘giveaways’ are not gifts in the purest sense – the visitor is expected to give their time and attention in exchange and to show interest. These fairs are also about exchange in a larger sense: they delineate what the worker must give in order to receive something later on in their professional career. Just grabbing the giveaways without respecting this unwritten rule violates the 'cultural code' holding sway in the fair environment and the visitor who does so starts to appear as a perpetrator. Fair workers – who might themselves behave as the visitor does in another context – feel irritated and protective of their giveaways when at the fair. The fear of someone possibly exploiting the system and a requirement that we follow the rules of is often greater than common sense. We easily fail to asses the real losses or benefits in someone just taking a giveaway apple because they want to eat it – and prefer to offer it to a person who presents their commitment to our rule system.

curated by: Miina Hujala & Arttu Merimaa


The exhibition is supported by Goethe-institut.
www.goethe.de/ins/fi/de/hel