Dunst is a queer

performance art Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...

and

activist Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fr ...

group in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establishe ...

. The group began in 2001 as an informal

network Network, networking and networked may refer to: Science and technology * Network theory, the study of graphs as a representation of relations between discrete objects * Network science, an academic field that studies complex networks Mathematics ...

, but since 2004 it formally works as an association. Among its projects are art shows, dinner nights, performances, film nights, parties and political manifestations, as well as TV and radio shows. The name means ''

odour An odor (American English) or odour (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences) is caused by one or more volatilized chemical compounds that are generally found in low concentrations that humans and animals can perceive via their sense ...

'' or ''reek'' in

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...

Activities

During 2003, Dunst handled the Gay House at Christiania. Events and parties in the revived Gay House were popular among Copenhagen's gays, but Dunst allegedly received complaints and threats from Christiania residents and subsequently moved out of Christiania. During 2003 Dunst broadcast six episodes of its own TV show on

Kanal København Kanal København (Channel Copenhagen) is a Danish commercial television channel, which can be seen in most parts of Denmark. It is a Pay-TV and Cable TV channel delivered by providers like Stofa, Waoo!, Dansk Bredbaand and others. It is quite un ...

, a local Copenhagen

television network A television network or television broadcaster is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, where a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay television providers. Until the mid- ...

. The network, however, declined to air an episode showing one artist eating excrement and subsequently banned Dunst from its facilities. Dunst currently broadcasts a weekly radio show on the local cable network. Dunst has made events in neighbouring countries and has gained some international attention, notably in

Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...

Style and context

Dunst is known for its bizarre and ironic

drag queen A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have usually been gay men, and part o ...

personalities (including such names as ''Ramona Macho, Miss Fish, Puta'' and ''Tove Hansen'') and music performers such as the band Nuclear Family. Having decidedly anti-

establishment Establishment may refer to: * The Establishment, a dominant group or elite that controls a polity or an organization * The Establishment (club), a 1960s club in London, England * The Establishment (Pakistan), political terminology for the military ...

aims, the group has a humorous approach with a

drag Drag or The Drag may refer to: Places * Drag, Norway, a village in Tysfjord municipality, Nordland, Norway * ''Drág'', the Hungarian name for Dragu Commune in Sălaj County, Romania * Drag (Austin, Texas), the portion of Guadalupe Street adj ...

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

flavour. Public appearances have been referred in several mainstream media which would otherwise often ignore gay events. The attitude of Dunst appears more sarcastic and less militant than radical queer punk formations in other countries. It could be claimed that Dunst combines a

postmodern Postmodernism is an intellectual stance or mode of discourseNuyen, A.T., 1992. The Role of Rhetorical Devices in Postmodernist Discourse. Philosophy & Rhetoric, pp.183–194. characterized by skepticism toward the " grand narratives" of modern ...

appearance with a Danish tradition of humorous political

activism Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fr ...

. During the 1970s and 1980s, the theatre group Solvognen (''Sun Chariot,'' linked with Christiania), singers Troels Trier and Rebecca Brüel, and the squatter performance network Kulørte Klat ''("Coloured Blob")'' made imaginative and ironic performances, as well as feminist groups of ''rødstrømper'' (literally "

Redstockings Redstockings, also known as Redstockings of the Women's Liberation Movement, is a radical feminist nonprofit that was founded in January 1969 in New York City, whose goal is "To Defend and Advance the Women's Liberation Agenda". The group's name ...

").

Manifesto

The Dunst website proclaims its "Manifesto" as follows:The Dunst Manifesto ~ Dunst.dk
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1. dunst is for all the cute ones. 2. dunst is the culture bearing layer of our gender political confusement. 3. dunst has provocation as a work tool and not as a goal in itself. 4. dunst makes contrasts strong. 5. dunst is for all who in a self performance will go beyond their own modesty. 6. dunst is the low life that others won't have an opinion about. 7. dunst is the sanctuary for those who come from a male or female
chauvinist Chauvinism is the unreasonable belief in the superiority or dominance of one's own group or people, who are seen as strong and virtuous, while others are considered weak, unworthy, or inferior. It can be described as a form of extreme patriotism ...
upbringing. 8. dunst crosses the gender specific habits and limits you keep in your everyday life. 9. dunst is for those who think they and others should be culturally carpet bombed. 10. dunst is always in change.

References

{{reflist

External links

Dunst website
LGBT organizations in Denmark Culture jamming Performance artist collectives Political activism Queercore DIY culture Queer organizations