The project “Skæve Børn i Smølfeland - A Social Canon” is a project, within the genre of social design, which revolves around the ways in which identity is experienced and created in danish society. The project aims to thematize the concepts of identity which we utilize, when we encounter personal realities that differ from our own. The project reflects on the ways in which we refer to concepts such as normality and deviation, both in relation to our sense of self and in relation to our perception of others.

"SKÆVE BØRN I SMØLFELAND" stands for "UNADJUSTED CHILDREN IN THE LAND OF THE SMURFS".

The canon consists of 5 'works' / actions in public space, carried out by the art collective SKÆVE BØRN. The 5 actions, and their underlying ideas and thoughts, are communicated in a book through a special distribution system. 100 books are handmade and given to 100 people as different from each other as possible and from all parts of danish society. When the first 100 people have read and seen the book, the idea is for them to pass it on to a new person. This system of distribution is an experiment.It is an attempt at a distribution channel, that is inherently reactive to the individual experiences of the users and their thoughts on who to pass it on to next.

Each book will follow its own unique path through the society on which it reflects. The book will “meet” a number of different personal realities, while becoming the fulcrum of various personal encounters. The book also includes a 15 min. film documenting the actions and reactions.