An Experience of Exchange. Galleri Rotor, Göteborg. August 2010.

I was invited to the group exhibition "An experience of exchange" curated by Erik Berglin, Thomas Dahl and Christian Hansen, at Galleri Rotor in Gothenburg. The theme of the show was how the value of art might change if we instead of expecting payment for our works start out by offering it for free, and participants were encouraged to advertise on Ilovegratis.se, a bulletin board used for giving things away.

I participated by teaching people how to pick pin tumbler locks, as well as making custom picks on site. At the end of the exhibition I gave away all picks, tension wrenches and one lock.

This work was a follow-up of my Masters exhibition from 2007, when I held a lecture introducing the history and workings of locks, as well as lockpicking as a hobby. The goal then was to introduce locks as something which does not absolve us of our moral agency — locks are intended to keep honest men honest, as the quote goes — while at the same time teaching people a skill which few have seen outside the realm of fiction. This time around, with Keys to cities I focused on teaching people the practical aspects of picking locks and manufacturing the necessary tools.

More than half of all visitors whom I instructed managed to pick the simpler lockpads, and in between helping people I was making new picks to substitute those which had suffered from less than gentle use.

The glimmer and excitement people exhibit when they manage to open their first lock is very spontaneous, and shows more than just satisfaction with a task well done; there's a look of incredulity and surprise at what one has just done, and judging from the feedback I've received afterward, there's a lasting feeling of empowerment.

Even if it takes a lot of practice and experience before one can pick the more difficult locks, there's a feeling that with enough patience you'd be able to pick any lock, and you re-evaluate your surroundings: Formerly, a locked door to which you didn't have the key might as well be a wall. Understanding how locks works turns it back into a door, leaving the decision to open it or not in your hands, even if in practice opening it might prove difficult.

The exhibition catalogue is available here: An Experience of Exchange

List of participants:
Anna Ganslandt, Barrie James Sutcliffe, Bo Melin, Carl Palm, Christian Hansen, Frida Franker, Frida Klingberg, Guro Olsdotter Gjøl, Ingvild Hogland Kaldal, Jan Pilgaard, Jamila Drott, Joakim Stampe, Jonathan Persson, Mari Lagerqvist, Mateusz Pozar, Meira Ahmemulic, My Marii, Pernilla Ljungkvist, Pär Darell, Rasmus Person, Sara Gunn, Staffan Hjalmarsson, Thomas Dahl, Vera Nielsen