Wear your shield : We are surrounded by intelligent eyes. We are being watched!
(2025)
author(s): Hossein Fardinfard
published in: Royal Academy of Art, The Hague
Thesis of the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague, 2022
BA Photography
My thesis discusses our privacy in the post-digital age where we are surrounded by surveillance
cameras that operate by advanced Artificial Intelligence technology and get command from that.
The paper begins with an introduction to the concept of "Digital identity" as a contemporary
phenomenon used by authorities for the authentication process of people in the virtual world.
The thesis clarifies how AI serves and empowers surveillance cameras and how this encounter puts
our privacy at stake. Nowadays, most rulers (if not all) misuse this advanced technology in lack of a
transparent law in order to monitor individuals in and out of their borders.
The discussion ends by demonstrating the role of art and photography in raising awareness, which
was one of my main goals for studying this subject in the last year. It also addresses some celebrated
contemporary artworks and photo series related to this issue.
Spirit and the Machine, the Curious Case of Spider's Transformation into a Digital Ghost*
(2025)
author(s): Jeroen Zwaap
published in: Royal Academy of Art, The Hague
*Thesis is written in Dutch!
"Spirit and the Machine, the Curious Case of Spider's Transformation into a Digital Ghost" is a research paper that explores themes of technology, voyeurism, and identity through the experiences of the characters
Spider and Nachtdonker.
Using a fictional story as its medium, the paper follows the journey of the voyeur Spider, who becomes trapped in their own desires and seeks the help of retired psychoanalyst Nachtdonker. Through a dialogue of monologues between the two, the paper explores the
impact of technology on human consciousness and relations, the system of networked cameras as an extension of the Self, the power dynamics of voyeurism between observer / observed, and the desire to look without being seen in the 'face of ubiquitous surveillance and control.
The paper's experimental structure employs fragmented timelines and various text types to convey Spider's and Nachtdonker's experiences and perspectives. The nonlinear stream of consciousness and poetic language invites readers to engage with the text on multiple levels,
allowing a more nuanced exploration of the themes.
Through its approach, "Spirit and Machine" challenges blurs the boundaries between fiction and nonfiction. It offers a fresh perspective on the complex interconnectedness between desire, intimacy, technology, power dynamics between observer / observed,
surveillance, and voyeurism.
This adds a layer of depth and complexity to the exploration of the themes, highlighting the psychological and emotional aspects of technology use that are often overlooked in discussions of surveillance
and voyeurism.
Aftermath - Or E for Installation
(last edited: 2025)
author(s): Zoe Panagiota (aka Betty) Nigianni
This exposition is in progress and its share status is: visible to all.
Design for interactive art installation with urban regeneration proposal, as well as video about environmentalism and our technologically mediated private and public lives; installation catalogue design with photography and textual collage, 2021-2023.
"There is a massive abundance of goods that end up in landfills. With such abundance of goods, no one should be deprived."
Visitors will have to leave an unwanted item of theirs and take another to collect the installation catalogue. The installation will be monitored for this purpose. Designed with Wi-Fi light technology for agility training, the interactive floor in the entrance will be controlled by the visitors through a tablet computer that will allow them to select the difficulty level.
The exposition offers a critical viewpoint to the contemporary gallery-mediated commercial environment by making reference to the non-monetary economies of artistic and cultural production.
Art "is an instrument of war for attack and defense against the enemy". The enemy is whoever exploits their fellows out of egoism or personal interest (Pablo Picasso).
With summary and questions about David Murakami Wood's article "The Global Turn to Authoritarianism", 'Surveillance and Society', (15), 3/4, 2017: 357-370.