YOU ARE WATCHED

Video Installation

As part of Oasis, You Are Watched employs Michel Foucault’s theories of power and surveillance, particularly his concept of “disciplinary power,” to examine the intricate relationship between observation, control, and consumer behavior. The installation features rendered manipulated eyes by a midi-controller through Touch Designer, symbolizing the omnipresent gaze of surveillance, and is paired with two CRT TVs that project hypnotic advertisements. These TVs display a combination of mesmerizing phrases designed and animated products by 2d motion design and 3d animation to manipulate and captivate, creating a dual mechanism of control: the penetrating gaze of the eyes and the persuasive allure of advertising. In this piece, viewers become subjects and participants watched by the eyes and subtly influenced by the advertisements. The “media altar” emerges as a contemporary Panopticon, where power operates through constant observation and manipulation. The work critiques how targeted advertising uses surveillance to compel individuals to self-regulate their desires, aligning them with consumerist ideals. Through the fusion of real-time interactivity, retro display technology, and symbolic visual elements, You Are Watched underscores the themes of Oasis: the intersection of power, identity, and environmental degradation. By immersing viewers in this environment of control and persuasion, the piece challenges them to confront the pervasive influence of consumer culture and its ethical and environmental ramifications.

Video created by: PARMO | Sound: ARIAN