I use the means by which I earn my living as research to inform my artwork. Having completed bodies of work dealing with cabinet making and the service industry, I took a job as a locksmith in 2003. I have been making the work that has come as a result of this research for the past 2 and half years by creating The Locksmithing Institute. 2005-2008.

I use the way in which I earn my living as research to inform my artistic practice. First I take a job in a particular area of interest and then through performances and interventions I construct pieces that expose the imbedded metaphors inherent to their structure. Through this work I engage the public in a dialogue concerning their ideas of perception, service, and liberation.

Over the past eight years I have completed bodies of work dealing with cabinet making and the service industry. Four years ago I took a job as a locksmith and for the past two years I have been making work that came as a result of this research. To do this I created The Locksmithing Institute. In different public places I teach anyone interested a specific locksmithing skill such as: “How to Pick a Lock,” “How to Find Your Lost Keys,” or “How to Lose Your Keys.” Each of the classes has been accompanied by a lesson plan that explicates the physical action as well as the conceptual intention of each class.

At the same time and for the same reasons that I chose to study and work as a locksmith I began to practice yoga as well. I did this to compare the similarities between how culturally we guard and lock our spaces against how we physically lock and guard our bodies. What follows is the final lesson plan of The Locksmithing Institutive that is the culmination of nine that preceded it. I freely admit that although I took on the guise of a teacher for these performance pieces, I was in fact the student. This lesson plan has been inspired by the interactions that I have had with hundreds of people on a day-to-day basis as a locksmith and from my basic understanding of yogic thought.

This is what I have come to understand:

Often a lock is viewed as a device that deflects energy. It is presumed that a lock pushes away the attempt of a person who is trying to break or pick it. However a lock does not in fact inhibit the path of a forced entry. In actuality it takes that energy, absorbs it, spreads it out, and thusly, renders it impotent. Indeed locks are passive vessels for the absorption of energy. Locks are a creation of people. People are of course clever but hardly original. We have survived by observing that which surrounds us and adapting those disparate materials and ideas together to serve a new purpose. The question then becomes: What was it that people observed when they were first inspired to create a lock? I submit that it was themselves. This observation implies that a people are bound entities and that their relationship to that which surrounds them is locked as well. This implies the universe is in a bound or locked state. This is not the case. The universe is one open, fluid, mechanical, natural, and spiritual entity and as a part of this universe the same must be said of humans. Viewing ourselves and all that surrounds us as locked, bound, or hidden is quite possibly the root of all suffering.

To understand this point better consider for a moment the opposite of what being in a bound or locked state implies by considering what it means to be free. If I ask myself, “What does it mean to be free?” the implication is that I am confused about freedom. I then attempt to use language to discuss this notion as a polarity. I am free. I am not free. I can ask myself what sensations arise in considering both. Further, by using language I can dissect my relationship to the idea of being free, however, this is not a productive way to understand this idea as it will inevitably lead to greater and more profound confusion and or suffering.

Image that we find a remote island in the Pacific Ocean that has been isolated from the world. We attempt to communicate with the inhabitants of the island and as time goes on we notice that there are some major differences between our two languages, most notably that they have no word for freedom. If one lives in a society where there is an open and fluid sense of movement between all things a notion of “being free” would make no sense. It would be just something that “is”. It could be said that the notion of being free is something that has been created to exert control over people. It is the manipulated quantification of an unalienable right. As a king I say to a peasant, “You better be good or I will put you and jail and then you won’t be free.” We associate being free with the ability to move about our world and experience it with our senses. In my opinion this is not freedom. In fact this is the jail.

What I have found in the four years that I have been locksmithing is that locks do not confine us to certain sections of space and deny our access to others. It would seem that only our perception is capable of achieving this incredible feat of shackling. I suppose the point is (and I am certainly not the first to discover this) that we are only captive if we choose to perceive ourselves as captive. Considering these things, one might ask how it is possible to navigate the world in a different way. To answer this question let us take a moment to examine keys.

It is first necessary to broaden the definition of keys. All of the people, places, and things in our life are keys. Each allows us to enter or exit certain physical and cognitive spaces. When viewed this way, the universe becomes one immense haunted space and all things within it act as triggers to alter our consciousness. This haunted condition allows us to bounce between many different times, places, and emotions without even realizing it.

The word haunted itself doesn’t mean anything. It is instead a sensation that arises due to the perpetual state of occupation that exists everywhere. Our physical keys mirror this paradigm. As they rattle in our pocket our state of occupation becomes amplified. They are not all they seem to be. Keys are supposed to unlock our feelings of safety and security, but on the contrary, they are our shackle to certain things, ideas, or people. We are supposed to be free people, but we are not. Our keys maintain our detention by making us feel that we are safe and that we can move about our world with freedom. We leave our home and lock the door only to unlock the door to our car and then lock ourselves in. We travel to our job, unlock the door and place ourselves in another cell. We feel safe in these prisons. When we misbehave most will find some overt or covert way to punish themselves. In our present haunted and occupied condition we are our own jailor and we have been fooled into thinking that our keys (be they physical or mental) are the proof of our supposed freedom. There is no need for a prison for the majority of the people as our pockets insure that we will remain passive. We simply need to be periodically reminded that we are in danger so that we keep our cells locked tight.

Due to this situation, when a person loses their keys they often work themselves into a panicked state. This sense of crisis amplifies when the particular lost key happens to unlock someplace that is associated with the person’s sense of security such as their home or car. This panicked state implies that one’s sense of safety and security exists outside of themselves. It would seem that when the keys are lost it forces people to face themselves as they are. Our perception of the world is very delicate. The keys maintain the balance for us. The irony is when the keys are safely on their ring they make it possible for us to be lost to ourselves. When they are lost (in spite of the panic that one may feel) we are forced to provide our own feelings of safety and security. Because of this our keys have been metaphorically transformed into the sensations that we associate with all of the forced connections we have with people, places, and ideas that we externally associate with our notions of ourselves. Meaning simply that on a moment-to-moment basis I am my sensations as I have no clear conception of myself separate from my desires, regrets, or fantasies.

A clear way to understand this point is through yogic philosophy. The universe is like a mirror. As our senses interact with it the universe reflects back to us a glimpse of our “self.” The problem is, as we gather information our desires, feelings, attachments, or keys refract those sensations because we have transformed the universe into this haunted state. Like a funhouse mirror the reflection is tainted and therefore does not accurately show us what we are. At its core, life is simply the opportunity to have sensations. These sensations, though a product of life (and an incredible gift) do not represent the totality of what we are. The inability to separate our sensations (keys) from the way in which we interpret the information that we receive through our senses has been merciless to countless beings since the dawn of consciousness.

In light of all these things, it seems possible that our keys, be they mental or physical, do not exist at all. And this lack of existence is what enables them to embody such an incredible, otherworldly power. Our keys have taken on a paranormal identity just as our world has been transformed into a haunted state. Simply, if the world is the haunted house then our keys are the ghosts. We each live with this constant paranormal presence. A ghost is not something that leaves one space and pops into view in another. Nor is it something that exists in between two realms. Ghosts are not sheets, nor ideas, nor traces, nor any manner of philosophical quandary or folk tale. Further, the misconception that a ghost is something we notice when it appears before us not accurate. In actuality their presence is only noticed when they disappear. And only upon their vanishing do we appreciate that they were there. Only when they are gone do we panic. And, only when they are gone does one truly fear that which they have created for themselves and the ghost they permit to reside in their pocket.

For some time I thought that a great locksmith would be able to find the place that keys go when they are missing. I have realized this is impossible because, as discussed, they do not exist. I then thought that in order to gain freedom we must lose our keys of our own free will. However, forcing this liberation to occur is not necessary either. Despite the fact that we are desperately connected to our keys, we loose them anyway. It would seem that there exists somewhere in each person the knowledge of how to set ourselves free. When we accidentally lose our keys we move towards this liberated state without any effort at all. This natural, uninhibited movement towards freedom is the final proof that our natural state is not confined, suffering, nor bound. The only work that must be done is to extinguish fear so when the day comes that the keys disappear there is no panic. From there, we need only experience existence without them acting as our filter. And this ghostless, filterless, keyless state is freedom. Unfortunately, when this freedom is found there is no revel or bliss that will occur. This state is the baseline; it is our natural, balanced condition. There are no words that I can use from this point forward to describe what this existence might be like. In my opinion, this is where language ends.

Every Saturday of February in 2005 I taught anyone interested how to pick a lock. The piece was installed in the window display of 826 Valencia Street (a pirate them writing center) in San Francisco. At the end of the lesson each student was shackled into a ball and chain leg shackle and had to pick their way to freedom. San Francisco, CA, February 2005. More details below:

Notes on “Lesson #1, Unshackle” At 826 Valencia Street, San Francisco 02/09/05-05/04/05

The earliest English derivation of the word “pressure” (according to the Oxford English Dictionary) dates to 1382 and was originally defined as: “The action of pressing painfully upon the sensations or feelings; the condition of being painfully pressed in body or mind; the weight or burden of pain, grief, trouble, poverty, etc.; affliction, oppression.”

In 1801 “manipulation” was defined as: “The action or an act of manipulating something; handling; dexterity. Also (occas.): the making of hand motions.”

And then in 1828 “manipulation” came to be defined as: “The action or an act of managing or directing a person, etc., esp. in a skillful manner; the exercise of subtle, underhand, or devious influence or control over a person, organization, etc.; interference, tampering.”

It is not without coincidence that pressure and manipulation are implored to convince a lock to open. If these are the normal tactics used to defeat a lock it implies that a lock is a shielded device which is being forced to open by one who is pressed by pain and who lacks the ability to influence that which surrounds them by the content of their character and thusly must coerce their surroundings into submission thru manipulation. This scenario places a lock into its most commonly viewed position as a device that deflects energy. However a lock does not in fact inhibit the path of an incorrect key or a persons attempt to pick it. In actuality it takes that energy, absorbs it, spreads it out and, thusly, renders it impotent. Indeed they are passive vessels for the absorption of energy. Locks are a creation of mankind and men, of course, are clever but hardly original. We have survived by observing that which surrounds us and adapting those disparate materials and ideas together to serve a new purpose. The question then becomes: What was it that mankind observed when he or she was first inspired to create a lock? I submit that it was in fact: himself. Thru pressure and manipulation we attempt to force ourselves into an understanding of the world that surrounds us. Like attempting to pick a lock, we try to “figure it out”. What I have found in the two years that I have been locksmithing is that locks do not confine us to certain sections of space and deny our access to others. It would seem that only our perception is capable of achieving this incredible feat of shackling. I suppose the point is (and I am certainly not the first to discover this) that we are only captive if we choose to perceive ourselves as captive. Considering these things one might ask if there is yet another way to pick a lock if not thru pressure and manipulation. The best answer I have at this point is that if one views a lock as mirror of themselves then the desire to pick the lock will dissipate and whatever it was that was inhibiting ones progress will suddenly disappear as well (though I do admit that this does not help you get into the room were you have locked your keys inside of…oh well). There is an old saying: The bad news is that there is no key to unlock the door to the universe. The good news is that the door was never locked.

On two consecutive Saturdays I taught a class focusing on a method of key origination called “impressioning” in the city hall plaza of Oakland. More details below:

Lucas Murgida Notes on “Lying in Wait: Lesson #2, Impressioning” At The Oakland Art Gallary 07/23/05-07/30/05

Impressioning is probably one of the most useful and oldest skills that a locksmith has. It is a way of making a key to lock when the keys have been lost. To do this a locksmith takes an “uncut key” (a blank key that will fit into a lock but has not cuts on it) and rocks it back and forth in the lock. Then, looking for marks where the mechanisms hidden inside the lock have bound and rubbed against the blank key, the person slowly begins to file away the material from the uncut (blank) key. This process continues (sticking the blank in, rocking it back and forth, examining, and then filing) until the lock turns. . The most difficult part of impressioning is deciding which of the many marks that one sees on the blank should be filed and which should be ignored. Because of this impressioning becomes the slow process of making decisions based on small bits of information that can not be measured but only inferred. When faced with a preponderance of information it is easy to make a decision. When one is faced with insufficient evidence it of course more difficult to make a decision. And, clearly, if one is going to make the decision which will yield their desired result they must learn to interpret information.

The best locksmiths excel at making decisions in the face of inaccurate, misleading and unquantifiable information. Like a hunter, they lie in wait prostrated in a position as not to expose their intentions while watching for subtle shifts in their surroundings (like the faint marks on a key) that can be assembled into some sort of meaning. It is thru this process of patient observation that the hunter attains his prey or (in our case) is able to assemble “meaning”. Though they may use a spear or a riffle (or a file) the most useful tool in their arsenal is “Lying in Wait”. As one examines the marks on the uncut key they become one of the articulated points of connection in the process of impressioning (lock, key, file, person…etc.), not simply an observer. Though it would seem that while impressioning the literal significance of word is being implored (as one is physically pressing one thing upon another to yield a mark) what is actually being engaged is metaphoric use of word. One is not “making” a key. A key is something made by a machine in a factory or in shop. What one is in fact doing is making a gesture of a key… an Impression, a thing like the key, but not the key itself. It is something that emerges from the lock as part of the dynamic relationship that is occurring between the locksmith, key, and lock.

The derivations of the words associated with this process are as follows:

Impression, 1444: The action involved in the pressure of one thing upon or into another. 1613: A notion rememberance or belief, impressed upon the mind; hence esp. a somewhat vague or indistinct notion remaining in the mind as survival from more distinct knowledge.

Mark, 1325: A boundary, frontier, or limit. Also: land within or near certain boundaries. 1325: An object marking a boundary, terminal point, or other geographical location. 1200(?): An indicator, symptom, or omen (of something); a quality, occurrence, etc., indicative of something. 1400: A vestige, a trace.

Trace, 1300: The way or path that anything takes; course, road, esp. in to take one’s trace, to make one’s way, take one’s course, proceed. Obs. 1374: The series or line of footprints left by an animal. 1400: Vestiges or marks remaining and indicating the former presence, existence, or action of something. 1809: A mark or impression left on the face, the mind, etc. 1827: An indication of the presence of a minute amount of some constituent in a compound; a quantity so minute as to be inferred but not actually measured; esp. in Chem.; transf. a very little. 1690: A change in the brain as a result of some mental experience; the physical after-effect of such. 1975: Linguistics. In transformational grammar, a phonetically null element considered to have been left in the position from which another element has been moved by a transformation, and to retain some influence on the resultant sentence. 1656: A non-material indication or evidence of the presence or existence of something, or of a former event or condition; a sign, mark.

Wait, 1200: To watch with hostile intent; to spy upon; to lie in wait for.

Lie, 900: The act or instance of lying, a false statement with intent to deceive; a criminal falsehood. 1000: To be in a prostrate or recumbent position.

This piece was done in the a artist space (Keys that Fit) that used to be a locksmithing store. By examining the pattern of a key I taught people how to decode its spaces and depths to determine its corresponding code (an alpha-numeric sequence that when translated provides its pertinent information). 08/04/05-10/07/05. Oakland, CA.

Students where taught how to find their missing keys as opposed to learning how to make a new set as was taught in previous lessons. San Francisco, CA, May 2006. More details below:

The Locksmithing Institute Lesson #4: Lost Keys.

In Lesson #4 of the Locksmithing Institute students will be instructed in practical techniques to aid people in finding their lost leys. The faculty of the Institute have found that locks and keys permit (or deny) our access to many spaces. Crisis occurs when that space is one that we associate with our sense of security such as our home or our car. Even the best Locksmith is only capable of making someone a new set of keys or picking their lock open. Though these skills are helpful to people they are at the same time incapable of replacing the sense of security that the old keys afforded them. In the end people want their old keys back.

Upon further investigation, the staff and I have noticed that all of the people, places and things in our life are keys. They trigger responses that allow us to enter and exit certain cognitive spaces. They act as triggers to fluctuate our consciousness. Looking at the keys thusly implies that they do not lock or unlock our feelings of safety. On the contrary, their presence in our pocket implies a shackle to things, ideas, or people. Like being haunted by the memory of a love one after they have passed away. Holding on, keeping locked away what we can never truly hold on to in the first place. When keys are lost it is a sign of that impermanence. Thus, we can only loose them when we hold on to them. When the keys are safely on our key ring they are lost. When they are displaced away from their prescribed spot then they are free. Once free they can become vehicle for change allowing us to experience the world a new without them to act as our filter.

Lucas Murgida 6/19/06

In Lesson #5 of the Locksmithing Institute students were given the chance to change their relationship to their keys. A furnace was constructed in the parking lot of Disjecta and if the students wanted to they could melt down their key and have the instructor pour it into a new form. The abstract piece of brass that remained was still the student’s key, however their relationship to that key was now changed. This was done in conjunction with the Haunted Show in Portland Oregon in October of 2006. More details below:

The Locksmithing Institute of DISJECTA Lesson Plan #5: Changing States

Lesson #5 is dealing with our present state of affairs. We at the Locksmithing Institute have found it necessary to broaden our definition of keys to encompass these modern times. All of the people, places and things in our life are keys as each allows us to enter or exit certain cognitive spaces. When viewed thusly the world then becomes one great possessed entity that acts as a trigger to fluctuate our consciousness. Its haunted condition allows us to bounce between many different times, places and emotions without even realizing it. The faculty and I have found that word “haunted” itself doesn’t mean anything. It is instead a sensation that arises due to the perpetual state of occupation that exists everywhere. Our physical keys mirror this paradigm. As they rattle in our pocket our state of occupation becomes amplified. They are not all they seem to be. Keys are supposed to unlock our feelings of safety and security but on the contrary they are our shackle to certain things, ideas or people. We are supposed to be a free people, but we are not. In our present haunted/occupied condition we are our own jailor and we have been fooled into thinking that our keys (be they physical or mental) are the proof of our supposed freedom. There is no need for a prison for the majority of the people any longer as our pockets maintain our detention just fine.

In light of this the faculty of the Locksmithing Institute feel that it is not enough to show someone how to pick a lock, make a key or even find their lost keys as was learned in the previous lessons. If one is to experience their own liberation they must change their relationship to keys. This change of state is the focus of Lesson #5. After much deliberation we at the Locksmithing Institute have decided to teach students how to foster a freer association with their keys than they are presently enjoying. On Saturday September 30th students will be shown how to melt down their keys and change them into a new form. This experience will last thru the night as they sleep on a friends couch for an evening because they have melted their apartment door keys, or perhaps, as they consider how they will get their car home without keys.

Tuition is of course free and please be sure to bring your own bagged lunch as the cafeteria of DISJECTA is currently going thru renovations.

Students were given the chance to lose their keys of their own free will. When someone loses their keys accidently they panic. When keys are lost by choice one can find liberation. More details below:

The Locksmithing Institute of Excentra Lesson Plan #6: Losing Keys

In Lesson #6 the students of The Locksmithing Institute of Excentra will be instructed in practical techniques to lose their keys. We at the Locksmithing Institute have found it necessary to broaden our definition of keys to encompass these modern times. All of the people, places and things in our life are keys; each allows us to enter or exit certain cognitive spaces. When viewed this way the world becomes one immense, possessed entity that acts as a trigger to alter our consciousness. Its haunted condition allows us to bounce between many different times, places and emotions without even realizing it.

The faculty and I have found that the word “haunted” itself doesn’t mean anything. It is instead a sensation that arises due to the perpetual state of occupation that exists everywhere. Our physical keys mirror this paradigm. As they rattle in our pocket our state of occupation becomes amplified. They are not all they seem to be. Keys are supposed to unlock our feelings of safety and security, but, on the contrary, they are our shackle to certain things, ideas or people. We are supposed to be a free people, but we are not. In our present haunted/occupied condition we are our own jailor and we have been fooled into thinking that our keys (be they physical or mental) are the proof of our supposed freedom. There is no need for a prison for the majority of the people any longer as our pockets maintain our detention just fine.

Often when a person loses their keys they work themselves into a panicked state. This sense of crisis occurs when the lost key happens to unlock someplace that is associated with the person’s sense of security such as their home or car. Further, this panicked state implies that ones sense of safety and security exists outside of themselves. It would seem that when keys are lost it forces a person to face themselves as they are. Our perception of the world is very delicate. The keys maintain the balance for us. The irony is when the keys are safely on their ring they make it possible for us to be lost to ourselves. When they are lost (in spite of the panic that one may feel) it allows us to confront ourselves and forces us to provide our own feelings of safety and security for ourselves.

In light of this the faculty of the Locksmithing Institute feel that it is not enough to teach someone how to pick a lock, make a new key, find their lost keys or transform their keys into a new form as students were instructed to in the first five lessons. If one really wants to move about their physical and mental world with complete freedom they must lose their keys of their own free will. More often than not the loss of ones keys is accidental. It is something arbitrary that happens to us that makes us feel powerless.

In lesson #6 students will be given the opportunity to lose their own keys thus making them a present and active participant in their life as opposed to its passive observer. The hope is that by choosing to do this a persons feelings of panic will be replaced by feelings of liberation. Once the student separates themselves from their key they can potentially become their own vehicle for change and thus be free to experience the world a new without the keys acting as their filter.

Tuition is of course free and there will be a hot lunch provided, however please bring your own beverage as we are out of milk.

The keys that the students in Uruguay gave to me were then brought back to San Francisco where I lost them on their behalf. More information below:

The Locksmithing Institute of Excentra Lesson Plan #6: Losing Keys

In Lesson #6 the students of The Locksmithing Institute of Excentra will be instructed in practical techniques to lose their keys. We at the Locksmithing Institute have found it necessary to broaden our definition of keys to encompass these modern times. All of the people, places and things in our life are keys; each allows us to enter or exit certain cognitive spaces. When viewed this way the world becomes one immense, possessed entity that acts as a trigger to alter our consciousness. Its haunted condition allows us to bounce between many different times, places and emotions without even realizing it.

The faculty and I have found that the word “haunted” itself doesn’t mean anything. It is instead a sensation that arises due to the perpetual state of occupation that exists everywhere. Our physical keys mirror this paradigm. As they rattle in our pocket our state of occupation becomes amplified. They are not all they seem to be. Keys are supposed to unlock our feelings of safety and security, but, on the contrary, they are our shackle to certain things, ideas or people. We are supposed to be a free people, but we are not. In our present haunted/occupied condition we are our own jailor and we have been fooled into thinking that our keys (be they physical or mental) are the proof of our supposed freedom. There is no need for a prison for the majority of the people any longer as our pockets maintain our detention just fine.

Often when a person loses their keys they work themselves into a panicked state. This sense of crisis occurs when the lost key happens to unlock someplace that is associated with the person’s sense of security such as their home or car. Further, this panicked state implies that ones sense of safety and security exists outside of themselves. It would seem that when keys are lost it forces a person to face themselves as they are. Our perception of the world is very delicate. The keys maintain the balance for us. The irony is when the keys are safely on their ring they make it possible for us to be lost to ourselves. When they are lost (in spite of the panic that one may feel) it allows us to confront ourselves and forces us to provide our own feelings of safety and security for ourselves.

In light of this the faculty of the Locksmithing Institute feel that it is not enough to teach someone how to pick a lock, make a new key, find their lost keys or transform their keys into a new form as students were instructed to in the first five lessons. If one really wants to move about their physical and mental world with complete freedom they must lose their keys of their own free will. More often than not the loss of ones keys is accidental. It is something arbitrary that happens to us that makes us feel powerless.

In lesson #6 students will be given the opportunity to lose their own keys thus making them a present and active participant in their life as opposed to its passive observer. The hope is that by choosing to do this a persons feelings of panic will be replaced by feelings of liberation. Once the student separates themselves from their key they can potentially become their own vehicle for change and thus be free to experience the world a new without the keys acting as their filter.

Tuition is of course free and there will be a hot lunch provided, however please bring your own beverage as we are out of milk.

Students were given a copy of the keys to my apartment in San Francisco. They were told that when I returned form Boston four days after the show that I would be locked out of my apartment. More details below:

The Locksmithing Institute of Contaminate Lesson #7: Willful Disappearance

In lesson #7 the students of “The Locksmithing Institute of Contaminate” will be instructed in the ancient locksmithing technique of disappearance.

First, to understand this concept better we must broaden our definition of keys. All of the people, ideas, things and places in our life are keys. All of these allow us to enter or exit certain physical and mental spaces. Most keys unlock our feelings of safety. They do this by permitting us access to ideas that we associate with our sense of security. Some examples of these are: homes, cars, favorite cookies, or relationships to loved ones. When a person loses their keys typically they panic. This reaction and attachment implies that one cannot manifest their own feelings of security without their keys. Suffering stems from this attachment. This is because we have great difficultly imaging what existence might be like without keys acting as our filter.

In lesson #4 of “The Locksmithing Institute” students were taught how to find their lost keys. This lesson arose from the observation that even the best locksmith can only make someone a new set of keys. Though this is a good service it fails to restore the sense of security that a persons old key afforded them. In the end people don’t want a new set of keys. They want their old keys back. From there, students who enrolled in “Lesson #5” were taught how to change their relationship to their keys. To do this a furnace was constructed. Next, the students were given the opportunity to place one of their keys in the furnace. The molten metal that remained was then poured it into a new, abstract form. It was still their same key, only their relationship to it had changed. In “Lesson #6” students were given the chance to lose their keys of their own free will. By choosing to do this (as opposed to accidentally doing it) students took another step towards developing their own feelings of security separate from their keys.

Those three lessons of “The Locksmithing Institute” dealt with, at their core, matters of “perception”. More specifically they are about things moving in or out our frame of reference. This has less to do with ones physical eye and more to do with the “minds eye”. The standard association that is placed upon the word “disappearance” is that something is gone and it’s where a bouts is unknown. However the simple meaning of the word is that something is no longer within our “sight” or to ceases to “appear” before us. “Appear” is strongly linked to the present tense. It is something that is occurring even as we are perceiving it. “Disappear” is no different. It is something that is happening in the present that we are connected to. Something that is always in the process of occurring.

To explicate this point Instructor Lucas Murgida will give an example of this in “Lesson #7”. On Friday March the 9h of 2007 he will be giving each of the students of Contaminate copies of the keys to his apartment in San Francisco. At approximately 6:00 PM EST on March 14th upon returning from Boston, Murgida will be locked out of his apartment. For Murgida the keys are not gone, they are simply out of sight. For the students Contaminate “Lesson #7” is occurring but it is not within their sight. There are many things that we are intrinsically connected to that our perception is incapable of detecting. When events or keys slip out of our frame of reference they are become endowed with other worldly ability it exist long past their life ever would have permitted. Because of this “Lesson #7” will always be occurring. This is the embedded significance of disappearance. It is the transcendence of the moment.

Upon my return to San Francisco I was locked out of my apartment (see description in Part 1).

I had no plan when I got off the plane in San Francisco. I was not relishing the opportunity to be locked out. I was annoyed and mad at myself for making art work like this. I just wanted to go home and hide. My intentions: To create a work of performance art that was not only in the moment, but transcended the moment as well. This could be accomplished by insisting that the audience at the performance event was not witnessing my performance. The true action and intended purpose of my performance was going to happen in the future and the audience would not be able to witness it. They only knew that there was something occurring outside of there field of perception that they are directly connected to. The connection was represented by the gesture of me giving my keys to each of the audience members. By giving my keys to stranger I set up the opportunity for someone to invade the life of myself and my roommates. Though I can not control the way in which someone interacts with my piece my intention was not to provide the opportunity for someone to do this. My intention was to be locked out of my apartment. Getting off the plane I took the subway to my apartment. All the while worrying that someone will abuse or misunderstand my gesture and decide to enter my private world. I attached to all the things in room and decided which I could live without and which would be devastating to loose. Which I could afford to replace and which were irreplaceable. I did not want to be locked out. I began to figure out the path of least resistance. I planned what I would say to my roommates when I called and said I was locked out. How I would get in contact with them. More than anything else, I was exhausted.

Arriving at the gate to my apartment building I began to call one of my roommates who was at work. Before I could dial any numbers one of the people that lives in my building came downstairs. She let me in the gate. I told her that I was locked out and I needed to go down her back stairwell to see if I could get into my apartment. She let me into the building. I went down the back stair well and was happy to find a safe place to put my bags while I figured out what to do. I decided to see if I could break into my apartment. I climbed up a wall and piled up some cinder blocks and was able to reach one of the windows to my room. I managed to pop the window open and climbed in. I was locked out for about twenty minutes. This is not the first time that I have done things like this as a locksmith. I have climbed up pipes, jumped down porches, squeezed under garage doors…what ever it took to get in a person in. This is not as noble as it seems. If I don’t get the customer in I don’t get paid. Climbing thru my window on March 14th I felt like I was entering a strangers room. I had never experienced my room from this vantage point. Despite my worry and the desire that I felt on the plane to be in my room, when I finally was there I didn’t associate with a single thing in there. None of it seemed like mine. None of it seemed important. It was not my room. The only emotion that was distinct was a sense of relieve that the piece was over and that it wasn’t too annoying of an experience. I had to work the next morning. I had people and obligations that I was expected to take care off. These are my baggage. These are the things that I attach to and from which I develop my notion of myself. These are my keys. In the end it was the obligations that I couldn’t handle living without…the material things in the room mean very little to me. I suppose I couldn’t live with the idea that I would let those obligations down. Those are heavy and bulky keys for me. Truthfully, more than anything else I learned that my apartment is terribly insecure. And judging by reaction, so am I.