ursuppe

ursuppe is a digital commons for contemporary art in Denmark, and an artist-run, anti-authoritarian platform cooperative that is both a user and an ambassador of FLOSS (Free/Libre Open Source Software).

From a platform perspective, ursuppe is primarily a user-generated and data-driven web application and a commons that includes three functions: a calendar, an archive, and a pinboard, with room for expansion. The users, collaborators, and partners create and own the content that makes up ursuppe, which is preserved as a commons. The web application is licensed as ethical free software and is encouraged to be adapted for other localities.

From a local perspective, ursuppe aims to decentralise and democratise the Danish art media and give power back to the artists and the people by connecting and organising through the digital platform and into physical spaces. We map the activities (e.g., exhibitions) that are taking place and have taken place on the Danish art scene, especially activities that are not documented in mainstream media and thus become invisible in a historical account. This includes artist-run and temporary spaces that exhibit political, minoritised, and/or cutting-edge work that pushes boundaries. We have a purpose to preserve this history.

From a societal perspective, ursuppe works for inclusion in the arts, with a belief in and prioritisation of what can be considered artist-run spaces and initiatives, as well as critical software and infrastructures. We resist big tech by shifting the gaze towards small-scale technologies and FLOSS. In both cases, we believe these systems are deeply embedded in society, and we recognise the historically inequitable social reality of both contemporary art and software communities, as well as the dominance of patriarchal and capitalist structures and behaviours within them. We aim to create an inclusive and decentralised space as a disruptive action to change this narrative. The small and underrepresented voice matters to us, and we welcome critical questions about the hosting infrastructure behind our web application.

ursuppe also engages in other activities such as curatorial projects, coding clubs, and debates to organise around and promote our values.