digital disruption of today’s surveillance systems

[2021 at UMPRUM, CZ]

Technology has already taken control of surveillance. Video cameras are increasingly being used by governments to strengthen surveillance in the public space and manipulating the privacy of humans. To track human behaviour. These ideas of increasing surveillance have been increased due to fear of terrorism and crimes, when at the same time civil rights movements are warning public about the danger that follows. All this happens within the space of architecture. The spaces allow limitations to surveillance, blind spots, and spaces of total visibility. I will not go further to state the problems that CCTV surveillance causes, but if one is interested, it is possible to look further into it by reading my bachelor thesis about this topic.

Simply, this project is a model of the space we walk through on daily basis, but do not notice with our body and senses. The space goes unnoticed by the technological surveillance of our present day, which leads to the public having no real sense of it. Different from the panopticon or other human security. 

A pavilion in a neutral exhibition space where I create an alternate space which makes the feeling of the CCTV intimidating, yet curious. The conceptualised idea is a structure around the surveilled space, which when human enters the walls, it enters the field of view of the CCTV. Inside of the structure, everything is empty, and it is spacious enough for humans to walk. It is a freed and reclaimed space to think in. 

On the other hand, each “pyramid” has a camera in the corner, so the pyramid shaped angles from the camera are perfectly structured around the field of view of the CCTV. That makes the inside space fully surveilled and highlights the issue of being watched.