Art Project Shows How Suveillance State Feeds Off Citizens

In the streets of Utrecht, cybernetic birds keep tabs on the populace

"In streets of the Dutch city of Utrecht, cybernetic ravens and seagulls keep their ever-vigilant electronic eyes on citizens. Has Big Brother begun dabbling in fringe science? No, it's just a mutant street art project by the artist duo Helden.
Here's how Helden (a.k.a. Thomas voor 't Hekke and Bas van Oerle) describe their camerabirds:

‘panoptICONS' addresses the fact that you are constantly being watched by surveillance cameras in city centres. The surveillance camera seems to have become a real pest that feeds on our privacy. To represent this, camera birds - city birds with cameras instead of heads - were placed throughout the city centre of Utrecht where they feed on our presence. In addition, a camera bird in captivity was displayed to show the feeding process and to make the everyday breach of our privacy more personal and tangible.


seen at Disinformation