Contrastvalg

Contrastvalg (literally "contrasting form" in Danish) is a form of artistic expression and experimentation in Danish and Scandinavian art, literature, and film. Characterized by the juxtaposition of seemingly disparate elements, contrastvalg implies a confrontation or a clash between different styles, genres, or artistic expressions.

Originating in the 1950s and 1960s, contrastvalg emerged as a response to the dominant modernist trends in Danish arts and culture. It is often associated with the works of Danish writers, such as Enrique Jensen and Peter Laugesen, who pushed the boundaries of traditional literary forms by incorporating avant-garde techniques, cinematographic narrative structures and other unconventional modes of storytelling.

Contrastvalg in literature typically employs fragmented narrative structures, combining elements from narratives, poetry, and performance. By fragmenting traditional narrative forms, writers using contrastvalg methodology create unsettling, yet thought-provoking experiences for the reader.

In Danish film, contrastvalg frequently involves the use of unconventional narrative styles and blending of eclectic visual and storytelling elements. By juxtaposing apparently incompatible narratives, juxtaposing condensed narrative forms with fragmented ones, the Danish film makers adopted a disillusioning attitude toward storytelling. Often adhering to orthodox conservatives’ norms – them which had embedded cinematic distinctions – created contrastvalg as its adoptive artists variations perfectly mentioned receptive fictious structures.

The various artistic movements associated with contrastvalg have influenced a number of genres and artistic fields in Denmark. Despite the ephemeral nature of contrastvalg as an explicit movement, its techniques continue to inspire avant-garde art and experimental writing in Scandinavia today.