Ever felt like you’re being watched? SpY‘s latest piece of art in Madrid is an installation of 150 security camerasand is as bold and poignant as you’d expect from this talented urban artist because these cameras aren’t watching you; in fact, they’re not watching anything at all.
Designed with the ”intention of not watching over anything”, this latest intervention encourages questions to be asked about how we live in an increasingly voyeuristic society where our data is forever being collected and cameras keep an eye on our every move. Typical of this artist, this piece of work is an appropriation of urban apparatus. Although familiar upon first sight, the positioning of the cameras then starts the brain cogs turning as you wonder about exactly what its purpose is. As you begin to realise how much work has actually gone into this producing this piece of art, its cultural value increases the more time you spend pondering upon it. It’s the familiar made unfamiliar; these cameras are here for a different purpose, and that is to make a statement and be observed rather than to observe.
Once again, SpY encourages us to consider the environment we live in and question the norms of our everyday lives. What are the reasons for us being watched and is it necessarily always a good thing? As an artist, SpYcontinues provoking, and forcing us to rethink as a result. And we can’t wait to see what’s next.