Torsten Lauschmann: Startle Reaction

Torsten Lauschmann’s work is informed by apparently conflicting interests in the earliest forms of magical entertainment and the latest technical innovations. He explores the use of tools, techniques and systems to solve problems, with the aim of bypassing the tension between optimistic and sceptical beliefs about technology. His mesmerising installations use film to create works that are inventive, playful and accessible.

For Startle Reaction, his largest solo show to date, Lauschmann will use his interest in automatons and cinema to play with the notion that we are capable of believing in things that have been proven to be false. He has developed a work in which 3D glasses will allow exhibition-goers to watch different films at the same time. The exhibition will feature significant works from the past decade, including Misshapen Pearl (2003), a wistful investigation of the streetlamp’s function in consumer society. Skipping Over Damaged Areas (2010) shows a series of film titles narrated by a voice-over artist, creating a new and unexpected narrative from the appropriated footage.

A new, immersive work will span the length of the large gallery, exploring organic growth using specialised computer programming.

Born in Germany in 1970, Torsten Lauschmann lives and works in Glasgow. He has exhibited, screened or performed his work widely, including at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh; Art Basel Miami Beach, Miami; ICA, London and Arnolfini, Bristol. In 2006 he created World Jump Day, a high-profile hoax encouraging people across the Western Hemisphere to jump at the same time in order to shift the Earth’s orbit. In 2002, as Slender Whiteman, he undertook a Trans-European solar-powered laptop busking tour. More recently, he received the inaugural Margaret Tait Award and a Vital Spark commission from Creative Scotland, and he has been shortlisted for this year’s Jarman Award.