SURVEILLANCE BLIND

Curated by Nate Larson
Goethe Institut, Washington D.C.
Exhibition Dates: September 14 – December 3, 2015
Opening Reception: Thursday, September 17
6-8pm Panel discussion with the artists; 8-9 pm Reception

Data-Shadows-Exteriors-01
Artists: AnnieLaurie Erickson, John Vigg, Simon Menner, and Nate Larson

As technology has evolved, so have our fundamental ways of understanding the world. Data and information flows around us and is used to track our consumer habits, shape our identities, and mediate our relationships to our nation states. We are more connected than ever through online platforms and digital devices, and simultaneously the “data shadows” that we create reveal more about us to the world than we realize. Who controls and makes use of the information generated by our sharing society is a question being challenged and contested worldwide. The artists in this exhibition investigate the paradox of these connections, probing our relationship to data collection and interpretation.

Film Series: Surveillance Blind
September 14 – 28, 2015

What are the consequences of uncovering stories government or industry would rather not have revealed to the public? The documentary and feature films in this series explore this issue from different perspectives. They illustrate the risks assumed by whistleblowers and investigative journalists, and the potential ramifications their families face.