Curator Annie Jensen (AJ) i samtal med Iris Smeds (IS)

AJ: The Average is a multi-part work: a film, a manifesto, and sculptural objects that together examine the human pursuit of averages, the middle, norms, and measurability. In the manifesto you write: “There is no anxiety anymore when there are exact values.” Tell us what you mean by that, and why the manifesto is an important part of the project.

IS: I think that today we measure ourselves to a greater extent than before, and the more data we collect, the easier it becomes to sell normality. Measurability goes hand in hand with marketability. The danger of the middle is that it can so easily shift. The manifesto is important because I had many thoughts about averages and measurability before making the film—thoughts that then had to take their own, more surreal path. For me, the manifesto is a way to return to what initiated the project and, in a sense, close the circle.

AJ: Separation is a recurring theme in The Average: the centipede splitting in two, the blue sausage cut down the middle, and the TV announcer and writer whose romantic relationship seems to have recently ended. Can you elaborate on why “separation” and “division” are important elements in the work?

IS: I find separation and guilt interesting. The sense of betrayal in leaving another person, and the humor in using that as an allegory for the relationship between citizens and society. Thinking of ideas about the welfare state as a love relationship, and as a way of understanding the grief over a welfare system that has been lost. The physical image of something split in two describes quite well how it often feels—like you are, or have been, torn apart.

AJ: You work with a wide range of media—performance, text and poetry, film, installation, and sculpture. Tell us about your process and your desire to work across different forms of expression.

IS: I love being inside a project for a long time, being present in the process from start to finish. To turn every part into a work: the sketches become sculptures, the set design and script receive the same status as the finished film. I don’t want it to result in only one final product. Above all, I want to be there throughout; I like the feeling of being able to revel in a world you’ve built.