The subject of cameras and surveillance is widely written and commented on both in academic circles and in popular culture. It's a duopoly of mind which tugs at our notions of privacy and identity, security and comfort. As technological and manufacturing advances increasingly move into the nano-space, not only are we able to capture every second of our daily lives, but we can also instantaneously ‘transport’ ourselves into the lives of others in different location on the planet.
Eleanor Heartney, author and art critic describes the artist as “having a lens on the world”. [1] It is a lens which not only observes and focuses on the here-and-now but one that also comments on that which encompasses the periphery, those events, attitudes and perceptions of what is happening on the boundaries of an increasingly changing world. Through this lens the artist can question and observe what life might be like, not only on the fringes but into the future as well; a germane metaphor for the digital age. From the Hubble telescope and CCTV cameras to mobile devices and endoscopic cameras there is very little these days that is not being observed, not being monitored, not being scrutinized and not being recorded through the lens.
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