Everyday people dressed in black with high visibility vests marked “Under Surveillance”, wearing name badges with only a barcode and number, performed as Officials conducting surveillance. This art intervention masquerading as a real everyday event, took place in Martin Place, Sydney at lunchtime during a working day.
In “Under Surveillance”, the performers photographed and filmed people in public to stimulate awareness of the level of surveillance our society is subjected to. The performers invaded people’s personal space. They very visibly recorded what people ate, what they said, what they did and who they associated with.
If the public complained about the surveillance or the invasion of their privacy, they were given a card with only a telephone number they could call to discuss their concerns. No one asked why they were under surveillance, or what would happen to their image.
Schwenk wants to prompt thought about what the loss of privacy and loss of freedom that accompanies heightened scrutiny means. From the response to this intervention, it seems that as early as 2007, we have been desensitised to our loss of privacy in public space – it’s just something else that we have no control over.