#tafelman

Tableman 85 x 95 x 145 cm polyester, power mac av + dedicated software, registration camera, mini lcd projector, attributes

In collaboration with Tobias Schalken & Ware to Go software design

A man is hanging between the legs of a table, with his back forced against the underside of the tabletop. In contrast to the formal suit he is wearing, his body is frozen in an animal like position. Only his eyes move, following every object which comes into his range of sight.

In film, it is a gimmick that can only very sparsely be applied, but for the Mona Lisa, for example, it is one of the reasons her success: looking the viewer straight in the eye. this reversal of the roles of observing and being observed usually creates confusion, which can be disastrous for films, but is often, and cleverly, being used in the visual arts.

In the installation Tableman, the title character not only looks at the viewer, but his eyes also follow him whenever he moves. In a petrified, insect-like posture, he is hanging beneath a small wooden table, his back pressed against the tabletop. With his hands and feet, he hangs on firmly between the legs of the table. Tableman is wearing a suit, a shirt and stylish shoes - clothes which contrast with his bizarre acrobatic position. This contrast and his beady eyes make it look as if the viewer has caught him in a compromising situation, as if something had just happened which has forced him into this awkward position. the viewer is left in the dark about the nature of this incident, but because Tableman keeps him under close surveillance, he cannot avoid the impression that it has something to do with himself.