To Swede or Not to Swede

Have you ever Sweded anything? The term “Swede” is from the forthcoming film by Michel Gondry “Be Kind Rewind”. Jack Black and Mos Def play video store clerks who crudely remake every film in the store after those videos are erased as the result of a power plant surge. The clerks promote these versions of the films as “Sweded” versions, sort of Do It Yourself low budget homages to beloved but perhaps idiotic movies. I think this term is going to catch on with fans of Readymade magazine, who already enjoy making Sweded versions of IKEA furniture from leftover Zappos boxes and mailing tubes. There’s a bizarre website promoting the film www.bekindmovie.com with the premise that the internet is accidentally erased. One can do some quick Sweding and rebuild the internet in one’s own image---using Legos as building blocks. And to coincide with the film’s opening---due February 22nd---there will be a special exhibit at the Deitch gallery in Soho NYC, where groups of people can make short Sweded films with a variety of sets and props provided by the gallery. Check that out here www.deitch.com
The thing to do this week is to Swede something. Make your low fi homage to another work of art---great or kitschy---using only what you have on hand. My plan is to dust off my manual typewriter and write a slangy version of one of Knut Hamsun’s obscure novellas.