Janks Archive is a collection of put-downs recited by people from around the world, presented as a web database and video installation. Inspired by the efforts of archivists, such as Harry Smith and Alan Lomax, our goal is to archive insulting jokes from as many cultures as possible; blurring the lines between media art, folklore, anthropology, and comedy. Janks Archive is a collaboration between Jerstin Crosby, Ben Kinsley, and Jessica Langley.
Full Description
Janks Archive is an ongoing investigation and collection of insult humor from cultures around the world. Insults are an ancient oral tradition embedded within the collective consciousness of a culture or region with inherent ties to human social evolution. How people insult one another and what is perceived to be “bad” or “unattractive” differs from place to place. While the intention appears, at first, to be cruel and negative, janks are in fact an integral aspect of human interaction, used as much to establish dominance as to strengthen camaraderie.
This project documents this tradition through crowdsourcing and field recording. We host public collection events in international locations in which we film willing participants reciting janks from memory and gather contextual information (such as where they heard it, in what setting, and approximately when) in an attempt to trace origins.
Collected material is organized by geographic location and keyword tags, grouping janks by subject matter. We present this archive through a website and video database, as well as through public exhibitions, screenings, and editioned publications.
Work metadata
- Year Created: 2012
- Submitted to ArtBase: Sunday Apr 12th, 2015
- Original Url: http://www.janksarchive.org/
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Work Credits:
- jessicalangley, primary creator
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Artist Statement
janks \‘jaŋkz\ n, pl, slang [Alabama]
definition: jokes intended to directly insult the recipient by attacking personal attributes (such as physical appearance, intelligence, competency, socioeconomic status, familial and interpersonal relationships), often leading to verbal sparring
synonyms: snaps, disses, slams, burns, jibes, digs, cut-downs, slaggings
examples: [USA] [Alabama] [Belfast]