Tacit Consent

Matthew Antaky, Dan Wool and Frédéric O. Boulay

Collaborators Artist Statement – Tacit Consent:

This installation explores the boundaries between the public domain and the expectation of privacy and where those two may meet and/or conflict. The use of discreet, yet partially viewable spaces invoke isolation, but also captured-observance and raise the question of how these states makes us feel as human beings, as members of society. Do we feel more secure or more invaded? The video images in the installation capture moments of surveillance from places expected and unexpected, as is the case in our everyday lives. The sound is largely derived from recordings of conversations, infamous and not, that were perceived to be taking place in private settings and not ever intended for public consumption.

As technologies advance our ability to capture more and more personal information at greater speeds and with greater ease, we become desensitized to this invasive nature and its overall implications. Many times these are presented as “in our best interest”, but the results are rarely fully considered. [e.g., video monitoring of infants in their cribs seems a reasonable precaution and a true convenience but it also teaches children from the very beginning of life that they are being watched and maybe even recorded while they sleep. We may want to ask ourselves if this is a worthy trade off].

While in public spaces we are, for all practical purposes, consenting to having our private conversations and our image captured and used in perpetuity. Cameras and microphones are in all of our pockets, easily accessed and quick to capture people and events. The impact of recording these events range from benign to destructive. As a society we are being recorded, monitored, and kept track of, with ever increasing frequency, often without our knowledge, but always with our tacit consent.

Installation:

3600 Sq Ft

4 discreet performing spaces

Steel, Plastic and Paper

6 channel video

19.1 channel sound