CURVEilance

Abstract

It is an inevitable fact that social interaction nowadays is heavily mediated and distorted through the social network system. The presence of various media replicates our images to reproduce under a confirmation bias in our cognitive process. There has been a distorted gap between the original and reproduced images to reveal our identity in this process. The relationship form through this refracted self-image affects the user and the other users and eventually forms a complicated surveillance system. "CURVEillance" is an interactive art installation that criticizes this phenomenon by the vision of cameras that track the audience who approaches the surveillance cameras by following steps: 1) Digital images on the media wall are shown by re-pixeled visualization of the audience image through the vision of cameras, and then, 2) In order to capture the movements of audiences, the camera system actively moves and follows them. Specifically, each single camera lens automatically reacts and stares at the most active individual in the exhibition space by real-time. The media wall presents the reflected images of audiences as the observed objects by a crowd of cameras. In this process, images are scattered and overlapped so that it is hard to recognize the original form. Some participants attempt to get the camera's attention even if their image can be damaged while others are unintentionally monitored. Therefore, it induces a reversed interaction between participants and the media wall that brings tension from the technical eye. Ultimately, the installation aims to raise questions about the distortions of relationships of individuals who usually continue to use the media system in the digital era.