Artist Hasan Elahi developed a surveillance and security project he calls “Tracking Transience: The Orwell Project.” Inspired after the Department of Homeland Security erroneously detained him, the project compiles GPS data, photographs, purchase records and maps to present an up-to-the minute account of his whereabouts.
Archive for the ‘Surveillance’ Category
Surveillance, Alibis and Streaming Autobiographies
Saturday, February 20th, 2010Olympic Surveillance
Tuesday, January 19th, 2010The CBC news has reported that Vancouver is in the process of installing hundreds of surveillance cameras in the downtown area in anticipation of the upcoming Olympic Games. 900 cameras will be installed in the next week to monitor crowds for criminal activity or medical emergencies. The cameras will become active on February 1, and city officials indicate that they will be removed after the closing of the Paralympic Games on March 28. However, many are skeptical of the increased use of cameras. Some opponents would prefer more security personnel in place of the cameras. Others have no objections to the cameras during the Olympics, but worry that they will not be taken down as planned. Mayor Gregor Robertson said “there needs to be a lot more dialogue. People have to understand what the pros and cons are before we move forward on that.”
Image via Wikipedia
To me, this situation is quite reminiscent of the fall of 2008 when Denver hosted the Democratic National Convention. Part of the $50 million provided to the city for security purposes were used to install advanced surveillance cameras to be used during the convention. In addition, many private business owners installed their own cameras in preparation for possible civil unrest. Although intended for the duration of the convention, the cameras have remained in use since that time. With such a dramatic increase in the number of surveillance cameras in such a short time, and so many from private businesses, no one is sure just how many surveillance cameras are in the downtown areas.
As expected, there are both critics and supporters of the change. Police maintain that First and Fourth Amendment rights will not be violated, and that the cameras are “not an Orwellian type of thing…It’s a crime thing.”
Critics question the effectiveness of cameras and cite the London study showing how ineffectual cameras have been at reducing crime.
It seems, however, that the trend if increasing urban surveillance will not slow. At this point the public seems happy enough to hold onto the belief that the cameras are making them more secure. As this trend continues, I always find it interesting to sidestep the public/private/security debate and explore new media opportunities á la Manu Luksch, as well as the culture behind the growing trend.
Related articles:
- Public not worried about increased public surveillance: report (nationalpost.com)
- Big brother increasingly watching over Canada’s streets: report (canada.com)
- Do You Have Any Legal Right To Privacy For Information Stored Online? (techdirt.com)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=9c9c7c5a-ca67-4c7e-8fe3-0eb12384536c)
Surveillance Music Videos
Saturday, January 9th, 2010In a creative example of how surveillance cameras can be used as a new media tool, Pitchfork Media has begun to film music videos using CCTV. The films capture the performers from a unique and voyeuristic perspective while also splicing in surveillance footage of the surrounding environs for added effect. The videos, although simple, are captivating and interesting to watch. It will be interesting to follow this project and see how it continues to unfold.
Related articles:
- Chairs placed on streets of NYC, then tracked with GPS (boingboing.net)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=9211f72e-edff-4979-8f20-b8485334a340)
The Blindness of Surveillance
Saturday, January 9th, 2010This is an interesting article by Glenn Greenwald that looks at the effectiveness of the many surveillance measures employed by the government for anti-terrorism purposes. This is particularly relevant with the recent events on Christmas Day. It has been repeatedly stated by President Obama and others that a lack of information was not the problem. Rather, a lack of “connecting the dots” led to these lapses in security.
Greenwald points out that there is simply so much data to fish through and so much gathered through broad and indiscriminate collecting that there is too much information to handle. Even with suspicious connections, communications and other warning gathered, no one was able to clearly see the whole picture. In an age of unprecedented surveillance perhaps we are learning to rely too readily on overwhelming technological efforts than on our own senses.
Related articles:
- More Surveillance Can Make Us Less Safe (techdirt.com)
- The Backfiring of the Surveillance State (angryindian.blogspot.com)
- Report on failed Christmas terror attack released (cnn.com)
- When perceptions cloud one’s judgment (washingtonmonthly.com)
- ‘The Buck Stops with Me’: Obama Releases Security Review of Attempted Bombing (abcnews.go.com)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=987da529-1493-4022-9962-caa27b5213f0)
Highlights of Surveillance 2009
Sunday, January 3rd, 2010In another example of how surveillance footage can be used for new media art and entertainment purposes, Fox News made a short film compiled of some of the most interesting CCTV footage captured during the year.
Love of Surveillance: The Illusion of Safety
Thursday, December 24th, 2009A recent Pew poll has been released concerning opinions of technological and social changes and how positively people view the different changes. Surprisingly high on the list was the increase in surveillance and security, with 58% of those polled viewing it as a positive change. That was a higher positive than for iPhones and Blackberrys, genetic testing, social networking sites, blogs and reality TV, which of course are other technological creations that are wildly popular among many segments of the population.
Image via Wikipedia
CCTV Sci-Fi Fairytale
Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009Austrian artist Manu Luksch recently completed and is now showing the movie Faceless, comprised entirely of CCTV footage from London. The UK Data Protection Act gives individuals the right to access personal data held in computer filing systems, including CCTV footage. At 50 minutes in length, it is the first film that has been made entirely out of CCTV footage. According to the synopsis:
“In a society under the reformed ‘Real-Time’ Calendar, without history nor future, everybody is faceless. A woman panics when she wakes up one day with a face. With the help of the Spectral Children she slowly finds out more about the lost power and history of the human face and begins the search for its future.”
Image via Wikipedia
This is a fascinating example of how one may sidestep the usual privacy/control/security debate and look at the inherent opportunities of surveillance, particularly huge systems like the one found in London. My architectural thesis project similarly sought to take advantage of surveillance technologies and cultural obsessions of the media image for new explorations in new media art. It will be interesting to see how Faceless is received and what future projects it may inspire.
Related articles:
- Cameras or Cops? (freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com)
- Explainer: CCTV (guardian.co.uk)
- The real cost – and value – of CCTV | Tom Reeve (guardian.co.uk)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=db788fd3-d076-40f9-b163-45ce5c724af5)
