Tara Karpinski – Pink Pony Express (Eng)

Tara Karpinski is one of the founders of Pink Pony Express, a design collective based in Amsterdam. Pink Pony Express projects are based on locations where there is friction – usually between the government and local citizens. Following a period of long-term research that includes living and working on these locations. The Ponies make images that help redefine the situation, and create a shift in the current perspective. Their work is realized in public space.

Tara Karpinski will present the project Cǎihóng 彩虹 the rainbow app, and the project De Kapitein.

Cǎihóng 彩虹 the rainbow app
Cǎihóng uses live weather data to predict the formation of rainbows, and sends you an alert when rainbows are likely to appear in your neighbourhood.

You can spot, upload and share your rainbows – to show that rainbows are here to stay!

Originally introduced as a reaction to the ban on displaying the rainbow in public space in Russia, the app enables users to spot and capture rainbows everywhere. With support from Amnesty International, and the Dutch Embassy in Beijing, this year Raduga was redesigned as Caihóng for the Chinese LGBTQ+ community.

Raduga/Cǎihóng is made possible with support from Creative Industries Fund NL, Wilhelmina E. Jansen Fund, and hundreds of donations from rainbow fans all over the world.

De Kapitein
Since 2018, Pink Pony Express has been researching the impact of the Brexit on Dutch fishing communities.
As part of this project they handed over a golden fisherman’s earring – also called a kotter-oorbel – to Europarliamentarian Annie Schreijer-Pierik. Named De Kapitein, the earring was designed and chosen by the Dutch fishing community, in the run up to the Brexit.

Pink Pony Express came up with the idea to design a Brexit earring during a week a sea with an Urker cutter. Together with the crew they sketched preliminary designs. Back on land, the proposal for the earring caught on, and the design for De Kapitein was finalised.

Prior to the Brexit referendum the slogan Fishing For Leave was used by UKIP to mobilize British fishers. De Kapitein illustrates how not only politicians – but also the people they represent – can deploy cultural rhetoric and symbols.
Annie Schreijer-Pierik wore De Kapitein in Brussel, during Brexit negotiations, at the European Parliament.

De Kapitein is made possible with support from Stichting DOEN, and the Urker fishing community.

Tara is a researcher at the research group Human-Centred Creation from Caradt.