Big Brother is Watching - and you can control his gaze

Surveillance cameras are becoming an ever growing part of the urban landscape. They watch over public spaces and, working on the theory of the Panopticon (that if we believe we are always being watched by the authorities we will regulate our behavior) they are hopefully keeping our streets safer and giving the authorities the power to catch the badguys once they do wrong. Questions about whether or not this is actually the case is still up in the air. Questions regarding the impact on our civil liberties should not be passed over lightly. But, the fact remains that we are being watched and the watchers have all the power.

Want to watch? Then enter the Eyes of Laura: Surveillance webcam and street culture blog. There, you can take possession of a surveillance camera in Vancouver, controlling the perspective, angle, zoom, and focus. It is quite amazing to watch people go by down the street (or appear and then disappear on a slow internet connection) wondering if they know they are being observed. You can control the camera for 30 seconds using a default login or 3 minutes if you register.

The blog, which began its life on June 1st, is no ordinary blog - along with strange musings it has video and audio clips of the author, pictures, and a developing story line - in fact this isn't a blog at all. It is an art piece by one of my favorite contemporary artists - and one of the most applauded artists working today - Janet Cardiff, whose spectacular "Paradise Institute" and "Forty-Part Motet" are currently on view at the National Gallery. (For more webcam fun see the view for Louise Bourgeois's giant spider sculpture Maman)

While the website is not as immersive as her other works, it definitely operates along the same lines as it toys with understanding: mixing fact and fiction, sound and sight (and in this case text) as Cardiff leads us down a path to some mysterious destination. Unlike her other works which unfold over a relatively short period of time, this one has been going on for over a month now and shows no sign of slowing.

One thing that is particularly interesting about this site/work of art is that Cardiff has apparently gone to great lengths to hide her authorship and the link to the Vancouver Art Gallery, the sponsoring institution. On neither her nor the gallery's website is there mention or links to the work. Neither name appears on the site (that I have seen) and I only hear about it because on an article in the New York Times which spills the beans. The reason for this, I suppose, is to enforce the fiction but unless you were somehow "in the know" you most likely would never find the work. The author of the Times article never states how he found out about the piece and I am quite curious to find out how he found out given the supposed secrecy of the project.

A very interesting take on surveillance, blogging, modern communication and culture from one of Canada's art superstars.
rgsc.
ps. to run the site and camera you need java, quicktime, and macromedia flash plugins. If you don't have them you can download them via links on the site. A highspeed connection wouldn't hurt either, but isn't necessary.