At the intersection of post-modern Pop Art, surrealism and a contemporary reinterpretation of still life, PUTPUT (a Danish/Swiss duo) create a profoundly superficial visual universe. Their work is full of playfully humorous constructions, transient in their nature, that transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. As we step inside a world made of meat entitled ‘Tribut to the salami’ (2012), its marbled appearance made from a mixture of cuts is more than appropriate for an artistic vision of juxtaposition. Their aim is “to bring forward the unseen or unnoticed through a change in context, shifts in materials and unexpected combinations (…) juxtapositions between fiction and reality, nature and manmade, concept and commerce”. However, if art is as simple as shoving a stick into a sponge so that it looks like an ice lolly as in ‘Popsicles’ (2012), balancing a baguette in place of a wooden table leg for ‘Fitting’ (2014) or swapping a carrot for a carving knife to create ‘New Necessity’ (2012), does this humorous undercurrent then undermine its artistic intention?

PUTPUT designed the artwork for Bianco's Spring/Summer 2015 fashion footwear campaign, ‘Everything has a sole’, but these shoes are strange creatures with a surprising twist. They alarmingly alternate between the absence and assertion of expected aesthetic components, meaning our imagination is startled by soles of sausage combined with the usual sleek ponytails, paradoxically both continuing and contesting expectations.  Its solid structures can be seen as nothing but shadows, symbolised in the slow slump of sliced bread and the disintegration of drooping dollops of play dough. A sausage balanced on a bit of plastic - surely this isn’t art? There is definitely reason for debate, but for me the dynamic interplay within the stasis couldn’t be more convincing of artistic status.

At the heart of their work lies the problem of perception: how we interact with our immediate surroundings and with the objects of daily life. The striking innovation of PUTPUT’s pursuit can be understood as the chaos of destructive river currents. Their creative energy destroys the course within which it is confined, those constraints of pre-established paths of perception, by operating from inside rather than from outside its confines. In other words, if these artworks cling on to certain aesthetic chains it is to prove a very poignant point.

They remain tied to the image they seek to displace, to the typical high-heeled shoe that this fashion company desperately wants to promote and sell, but only in order to undermine expectation from within its own framework: to turn these stale structures against themselves. At a stretch, the skill of this destructive displacement could be celebrated with comparison to the martial arts, where the key principle is to use an opponent’s own strength in order to overcome him. In short, the aim is to escape the confines of the conscious mind by playing on its own constraints.

This interrogatory process reveals a psychological portrait, illustrating the inner mechanics of human minds, but those of the viewer rather than the creators. It reveals that habitude is a force from which the human mind cannot easily escape. In other words, we expect to see a high-heeled shoe and so it is a high-heeled shoe that we see, even if this shoe is not truly there. The same goes for the sponge posing as a popsicle and the baguette that boasts its resemblance to a table leg. It is shocking to see that the strongest thread which ties these works to the image they seek to displace is neither the internal features of aesthetic construction, nor any other material object. It is rather the external construction through the eyes of the spectator.

If we consider the origin of the duo’s name - ‘put-put’ being the sound produced by a small internal-combustion engine - then everything suddenly makes sense. These artworks set off sparks in the imagination, and however small and seemingly insignificant, they culminate with a bang. In essence, the craft lies in the collapse, making the concept of meaning crumble to its knees. The art, however, lies in the aftermath.