Destructable: How to Drill Open a Standard Door Lock, San Francisco, 2011
In 2011, artist and activist Packard Jennings asked me to create a project for his website: Destructables.org. The site is currently not active, but it began as a critique of the “instructables” movement. However, instead of teaching folks do-it-yourself solutions about how to –for instance– fix a loose floor board, Destructables.org was geared towards DIY projects of protest and creative dissent. Leaning heavily into the “destructive” aspect of the theme, I decided to make a video in which I taught people how to drill open standard door locks. Often when I tell a person that I worked for nine years as a professional locksmith, they usually say something to the effect of, “Oooooo, you can pick locks!!” Though I can indeed pick locks, this skill represented a tiny fraction of what I did on a day-to-day basis. In actuality most locks cannot be picked. The reasons for this are complicated, however it is very unlikely that anyone is going to pick the lock on –for instance– a standard parking meter. Because of this most locks must be destroyed in order to open what they are on. A good locksmith can gain access to something while causing minimal damage to the door or hardware that the lock is installed on. Special thanks to Nick Bruno for helping me film this video.
Original link: http://destructables.org/destructable/how-drill-open-standard-door-lock
Packard Jennings: https://packardjennings.com/
