CHILDREN RUN RIOT. An analysis of the protagonists, work and impact of punk artist groups in Europe, using the examples of COUM Transmissions, Die Tödliche Doris, Zebrapanden and Værkstedet Værst

The study is an examination of the connection between the punk movement and artists groups in Europe around 1980. The main thesis is that the expression of punk was visual as much as it was musical and that the work of some of the most progressive artists groups at the time is related to punk. Intermediality and cross-over between music, poetry and art belong to the most interesting characteristics of the movement. A second focal thesis is that the punk artist groups place themselves as avant-garde artists in the tradition of dada and fluxus, and that it is rewarding to look at their work in an art avant-garde context, using art historical methods of describing, analyzing and placing a work. This also implies that the organization in more or less loosely structured groups is typical for the artists related to the punk scene. Third, the study is internationally positioned, but investigates the background of each group, the notion being that only by understanding the specifics of the social and (sub-)cultural regional situation, is a truly international outlook possible. The study focuses on the groups COUM Transmissions (London), Die Tödliche Doris (West Berlin), Zebrapanden (Amsterdam) and Værkstedet Værst (Copenhagen) who share common features in motivation and structure as well as regarding the aesthetics and themes of their art work.