No. 7-1

Plans for Other Days

Janfamily, Janfamily: Plans for Other Days, Booth-Clibborn, 2005 

Janfamily is a group of young artists who share a unique approach to life. They explore the things that surround them, and together they create alternatives to everyday routines. Janfamily: Suggestions for Take Overs, their first book, is a manifesto of their philosophy: it is a “how-to” book, a list of proposals on how to relate to our own environment. 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. Janfamily: Suggestion for Take Overs is a humorous yet touching presentation of an innovative way of looking at the world.

The publication date coincided with a series of workshops and exhibitions in Copenhagen, London, Paris, Bolzano, Venedig, New York, San Fransisco, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong, Sydney, Prag, Bratislava, Ljubljana organized by the Janfamily in the Autumn / Winter 2005 / 2006. The main concept behind these events was to invite people to perform new situations inspired by the philosophy represented in the book.

Janfamily was founded by Royal College of Art graduates Nina Jan Beier and Marie Jan Lund. They were then joined by Daniel Jan Mair, Chosil Jan Kil, and Makin Jan Ma. Based in London, the group creates art projects that take such varied forms as songs, clothes, photography, and film.