Wandering Eye Studies

The Wandering Eye Studies is a series of video and sound pieces generated as part of the development for an interactive video installation entitled Wandering Eye.  The installation produces images and sounds from video input gathered by an array of surveillance cameras and explores the visual language of electronic observation.  The Studies explores some of the visual transformations brought about by focusing on particular aspects of the video imagery: motion is highlighted or isolated, edges of objects are detected and enhanced, and changes in luminance are used to generate the soundtrack.  Though I share many of the typical concerns of the culture of surveillance, my interest here is in showing the lure of the image itself. While being in front of the lens is disquieting, the view from behind it is seductive. The oscillation of experience between the two is one of the most compelling aspects of surveillance imagery in the mediascape, one that draws the eye as it unsettles the mind.

Quicktime Video excerpt - 320x240 (6mb)

Video still from Wandering Eye Studies (2006)