GMU:Artists Lab:Jan Georg Glöckner

About traps:

A trap is a device. A camera is a device, too. What do they have in common? Both devices are designed to capture. What is the difference between a trap and a camera? A camera captures the imprint of something or somebody, thus creating a sign. If I take a picture of a me, that picture is not me, of course, it might not even resemble me, but it carries the meaning: me. To make it even more complicated: it captures the meaning of me in a certain moment. So the camera actually captures that moment, and me, maybe by accident. I could be only by-catch. The important thing is: the camera is a device that captures moments, and turns it into signs. Signs must be meaningful to those who look at them. They must be embedded in a cultural area to be meaningful. People must be able to read the sign correctly, in order to grasp its meaning. In simple words: if a picture does not resonate with a person, if there is to connection between the picture and the person, simply nothing is happening. A trap in contrast is a device that get`s very strongly in contact with a person, as it is designed to capture persons. Which is does, it captures people physically, in that very moment. Of course, the trap can be a sign too. But if one cannot read that sign, one is still trapped, right?

Traps are devices that are to be dealt with. Once you are trapped, and before that, to avoid capture. Traps are not a proposal, like for instance a photograph can be.

At full lenght: traps aren`t nice.

Then why should I design traps? Because I am evil? Not necessarily! A trap is simpy a very strong device. It takes what it wants. And keeps it.

The art is not the artist. The artist is not the art. The art is first inside the artist, and the artist has to get it out of him/herself to encounter it. At that moment the art is already an entity.

Next: I will design small and simple traps to experiment with.

further reading:

http://www.strandbeest.com/