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Ctrl_Space

YUSHIEN, Juan Sulca, Orus Mateo Castaño Suárez, Ailin Dong

2024









Abstract

In the digital era, where surveillance is omnipresent yet often invisible, our art installation, “Ctrl_Space,” brings Michel Foucault’s theory of the Panopticon into a contemporary context. This interactive installation features three large, mechanical eyes, each meticulously crafted to follow the movement of visitors, simulating the unnerving sensation of being constantly watched.
Panopticon is a design principle where a single watchman can observe all inmates of an institution without them knowing whether they are being watched. In our adaptation, the eyes represent the pervasive surveillance tools in our digital age, subtly highlighting the loss of privacy and autonomy.

As the visitor moves through space, the eyes’ motion sensors activate, creating an eerie and thought-provoking experience. This installation invites the audience to reflect on the implications of living under perpetual surveillance and to question the power dynamics at play in our increasingly digitized world. A unique feature of “Ctrl_Space” is its interactive alarm system. When a visitor is tracked outside of a predefined frame, an alarm is triggered, symbolizing the breach of invisible boundaries in our surveilled world. This kind of invisible control is like another ‘1984’ or ‘Truman’s World’. Power is invisible, but everything is self-regulated and introspective within the group’s self-adjustment.

Through ” Ctrl_Space,” we aim to spark a dialogue about the psychological effects of surveillance and the erosion of privacy, urging viewers to consider their role and response in this ever-watching digital landscape.


Key Words: Panopticon, Omnipresent Surveillance, Self-Regulation,Algorithmic Control, Interactive Installation






Technical Setup

This project utilizes Python, OpenCV, and Arduino to enable real-time person detection and servo motor control. Using Python and OpenCV’s computer vision capabilities the system detects individuals in live video feeds using the YOLO (You Only Look Once) algorithm. Upon detection, it communicates with an Arduino via serial communication to adjust three servo motors’ angles in response to detected movement. 






Click to see the Code



Object detail of Arduino nano 3.0 installed with wires onto a breadboard
Object detail of transparent eyeball supported by sculpted wire, rotated by a Standard Servo, mounted using 3D printing to a metal dowel

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Blindness by Behnaz Farahi, 2023
Always There – Surveillance Bed by Julia Scher, 2000




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