1. Exhausting a Crowd

Kyle McDonald United States 2015 720 min

George Perec’s 1974 experimental literary work records observations of details that normally go unnoticed. does something similar, but this process has now been automated. The result is an absorbing tableau vivant of crowds at Piccadilly Circus in London; users can provide as many “tags” as they want containing observations. Our eye is drawn to the tags already placed by fellow observers who have pointed out details, invented dialogues or ascribed thoughts to passersby. They also offer amusing comments about people’s appearance, pose the occasional philosophical question, refer to well-known figures (Sherlock Holmes, Doctor Who and Mad Max) and affix onomatopoeic texts to cars, buses, taxis and pedestrians. Quite a few of the tags point out people taking selfies or staring at their cell phones: “Caught up in virtual reality,” reports one tag at 11:04 p.m. This artwork reflects on a future when surveillance is an entirely automated combination of machine and human intelligence. It is a beautiful record of life in the common space that offers some alarming insight into the potential for control in a dystopian society.

https://www.exhaustingacrowd.com/netherlands
https://www.exhaustingacrowd.com/london

This project offers surveillance footage from various public areas, inviting viewers to engage actively by annotating timestamps, highlighting observations, or sharing their thoughts through comments.

In my opinion, this project offers a unique and less burdensome perspective compared to traditional monitor-screen works, which often evoke immediate thoughts of political and social implications. Allowing the audience to actively participate creates a more immersive experience than works conveying one-way concepts. Consequently, the project maintains its critical nature while providing an engaging and easily interactive experience.

2. Stay v3

Hasan Elahi

In 2002, Bangladeshi-born Elahi was mistakenly associated with terrorist activities. He was returning from one of his frequent trips abroad (in this case, to the Netherlands) when he was detained in Detroit. The FBI opened an investigation on him, which they pursued for the next six months. Instead of panicking or resisting, he decided to collaborate by starting Tracking Transience, what he calls “a project in self-surveillance.” He monitors the locations and minute details of his day-to-day activities, then makes them available to the public and the FBI on his website and in his art.

http://elahi.wayne.edu/track/

There are a few inspirations (perspectives) I got from Hasan Elahi's work:

1. Surveillance and Privacy:

His work challenges our notions of privacy in the digital age. It prompts us to think deeply about the data we generate and how easily it can be collected and misused. His approach forces us to consider whether we can maintain control over our own personal information or if, in the era of constant surveillance, privacy has become an illusion.

2. Transparency and Self-Exposure:

Elahi's decision to make his life an open book is a commentary on transparency and the power dynamics of surveillance. Just like asking us to consider whether, in an age when so much information is shared willingly on social media, we can truly distinguish between voluntary self-exposure and involuntary surveillance.

3. Art as Activism:

Elahi's work blurs the lines between art and activism. It demonstrates how art can be a powerful tool for social commentary and change. By turning his experience into art, he shed light on broader issues of government surveillance and individual rights.

In summary, Hasan Elahi's work is a simple but strong example for me. Through this work, he explored complex societal issues related to surveillance, privacy, and technology. Also, he made viewers rethink their own relationships with privacy and surveillance in the modern world.

Experts---

Lisa Gitelman

https://lisagitelman.org/courses/
NYU - Media, Culture, and Communication
MCC-GE 2166 - Surveillance/Sousveillance and Secrecy

/

Finn Brunton
Professor in the Communication department at New York University
MCC GE 2231 - Topics in Digital Media: Privacy/Surveillance