“Sanctum” is an interactive video installation at the Henry
Gallery. It consists of several screens, cameras and speakers, which record
passersby and play back the captured footage. Viewers are constantly bombarded
with new sights and sounds. By approaching the screen and interacting with the
exhibit on facebook, you will be ‘matched’ with another observer based on your
information.
While
watching the screens, you see a whole range of human behavior. People wave,
pull faces, try to find the hidden cameras. But most of the people captured are
just going about their lives, unaware that they are being recorded. This aspect
of “Sanctum” raises questions about the limits of privacy. Is it ethical to
record people without their consent? What if, say, the cameras captured
something illegal or indecent? Seen in this light, the whole thing seems
slightly voyeuristic.
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