My witness is the empty sky

Dimensions variable

Six-channel video, surveillance cameras, raspberry pis, proximity sensors, custom code

2024

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A cluster of surveillance cameras point out of a window at passersby, with several monitors streaming the live view. Though seemingly menacing, upon closer inspection, the cameras are shown to avoid capturing a viewer’s likeness. One camera records approaching individuals to display them for all to see on a large screen centered in the window, but as they come within five feet of the camera, the screen reverts to static. Several other cameras point at extreme angles, focusing on various details in the landscape typically of little interest to security, forcing the viewer to actively work (by squatting or jumping up) in order to be captured on screen. The final two screens capture the passersby with time delays, causing the viewer to freeze in an infinite loop of observation as though watching another person. Each instance of surveillance is intended to invite curiosity and to deny satisfaction, pitting our desire to be witnessed against our demand for privacy.

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