Jakub Geltner’s Flock of Surveillance Cameras
Czechoslovakian artist Jakub Geltner looks like he is doing his best to become the Banksy of public sculpture. Heck, maybe Jakub is Banksy?! Who knows?
Anyway, his most recent sculpture installations are awesome is all I know. By molding and meddling two different – highly disparate – ideas he is really created a truly evocative work of art. Geltner’s pieces look like flocks of birds that gather together on buildings, ocean rocks, and old churches to socially engage. But instead of birds, we are given surveillance cameras and satellite dishes.
Which reminds me of a story that happened this past 4th of July weekend with one of my nephews. We were laughing about stuff and he said, out of the blue… yeah, Opa has tons of old old stuff. Like, I even saw a book on his library shelf from 1984. Very curious how he noticed it was from 1984 I asked… “Are you sure that book wasn’t titled 1984?”
“Oh, maybe it was.”
“Yeah, that book was published in 1949, so its much older than 1984! And it is one of the great books of the last several hundred years. You should read it.” I got a very quizzical look when I told him he should read a book that is over 60 years old! haha. And then I began telling him about the fire fighters and the ministry of peace. I started telling him about the surveillance state, and the view screens that filled entire walls and kept the citizenry placated. It was then he knew his uncle truly was insane. hahah.
Anyway, these different installation series are entitled “Nest”. His most recent installation was presented on the sea in Denmark, for the 2015 Sculpture by the Sea exhibition. Its such a brilliant idea to take these surveillance pigeons out to the mossy rocks on the sea. Makes me think about all the times we want to get away, and just how little peace we really have. Snowden anyone?
Over the last few years Jakub has created these pieces at elementary schools, churches, waterfronts, and even on the front of the former KV KSC (Communist Party building). Geltner lives and works in Prague and graduated from two universities also in the city, Czech Technical University in 2004 and the Academy of Fine Arts in 2013.
