Tantric Snakes and Ladders

A photo­graph sealed under plex­i­glass and mounted (1m x 1m). The image is of a board game Snakes and Ladders, with an English text around the edges:
1996 Jacob’s Ladder — a Cyber­sexual Parable Tanya Ury (D)

Insur­ance value 2,500 Euros

Jacob’s Ladder – a collec­tion of works:

• Roman Svastika
• Tantric Snakes and Ladders
• Jacob’s Ladder – a Cyber­sexual Parable
• Franco and Elke J.
• Fashion Victim
• Barbie and Klaus
• Jacob’s Ladder
• Swastikas and Stars
• wrestle­with­y­ourangel
• neonazi
• Blind Spot
• Red Hot Pokers
• Tran­scending the Ladder
• Jack the Ladder

Snakes and Ladders is a popular family game that relies on chance, in this case the throw of a dice. When it was orig­i­nally devised Snakes and Ladders was a morality game with virtues in the shape of ladders, allowing the players to reach heaven quickly, while the vices, in the shape of snakes, forced the player back down. The complex prose text by Ury around the edges of the photo­graph, describes a virtual-reality contest that develops into a fight to the death.

“Jack gets to grips with her/​me.

‘What’s your game angel; you want to tussle with me, what’s your stigma? A heav­enly body? I’ll rip off your duel iden­tity Jill, incor­po­rate it, get under your skin, play rough, find you out. I’ll shoot you till the earth moves in cyber space.’ ”

Extract from Jacob’s Ladder — a Cyber­sexual Parable

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Presen­ta­tion

2002 Jacob’s Ladder (solo), Hochbunker Cologne-Ehren­feld (9^th Nov. 2002 Cologne’s Long Museum’s Night) (D)

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Publi­ca­tions & Press

2011 (9.5.) Presen­ta­tion of the exhi­bi­tion Jacob’s Ladder mentioned in the Veedel (Neigh­bour­hood) Website: ​“Hochbunker Körn­er­straße: Ein beson­derer Ort für beson­dere Kunst” (The Above Ground Bunker in Koerner Street: A Special Place for Special Art), by Jürgen Brock-Milden­berger 4veedel​.de/ Cologne (D)