Big Brother

In the first group crit we had 20 minutes to be an exhibition curators.

A museum or gallery curator manages collections of artefacts or works of art. This includes dealing with the acquisition, care and display of items with the aim of informing and educating the public.

We were given exhibition title "Big Brother" and needed to find 5 contemporary photographers that fit that theme. We were looking for artists that explored the big brother as an ever watching presence, as a premise of keeping people safe by restricting their freedom or privacy. That is what we found:

Michael Wolf

"Transparent city details"

http://photomichaelwolf.com/#transparent-city-details/1

For project "Transparent city" he took images of cityscapes, glass walled skyscrapers. Midway through the project, which started with its focus on the architecture of Chicago, Wolf discovered that when he enlarged his photos he could actually see what was going on in nearly every window of every building. Indeed, one office worker in a huge building opposite Wolf’s camera was giving him the finger in a gesture of contempt for his supposed spying!

The images looks like from CCTV, someones is watching and the people in the images have no idea who. 

 

Tiane Doan Na Champassak 

"Looters"

http://www.champassak.com/en/portfolio-11329-0-50-looters.html

These images were displayed in Format Festival in Derby. All images of Looters were captured during the riots that occurred in England between August 6-10, 2011 and were found on the internet. Similar to Michael Wolf project they also look they have been taken with CCTV. People are being watched all the time and most of the times their are not aware of it.

Mishka Henner 

"Dutch landscapes"

http://mishkahenner.com/Dutch-Landscapes

This one slightly different from the first too as it not portraits, but landscapes. The idea is still similar. When Google introduced google maps, a free satellite imagery available to everyone, governments concerned about the sudden visibility of political, economic and military locations. So they blurred, cloned, pixelated and whitened these locations for national security. The Dutch method of censorship is notable for its stylistic intervention compared to other countries; imposing bold, multi-coloured polygons over sites rather than the subtler and more standard techniques employed in other countries. 

Juliet Ferguson 

"CCTV"

http://www.julietferguson.com/0000-0000/

Juliet Ferguson explored the CCTV topic that over last 15 years people got so used to the cameras that we accept them as furniture, be are being watched everyday and no one seem to care anymore. While many cameras are in the places you would expect - traffic cams, car parks and public squares and streets, she was struck by the number of cameras in semi-public places: libraries, bars, collages and universities as well as a surprising number in the workplace. These images were taken by setting up cameras and taking a picture at the top of the hour from midnight to midnight.

Andrew Hammerand

"The new town"

  http://andrewhammerand.com/the_new_town/index.html

                

Similar to the other photographers he accessed the camera atop a church in the centre of an community in the American Midwest. This camera continuously streams images on the internet, and Hammerand was able to control the camera and make photographs of the small town residents. Once again people were being photographed in their daily routines without knowing about it. There were not only were photographed but images were put on the internet.