September 2014
Why do you have to look into every window, Anushya?
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The Prying Eye of the Public Lens
A greater cynic than I might argue that Arne Svenson was working for the state when making photographs of his neighbors. One might suggest this not because there is any inherent value, lest any valuable information about the individuals within the snooping shots, but rather, because the brouhaha that erupted around the exhibition of Neighbors at the Julie Saul Gallery was a distorting and damaging version of the ongoing conversation about privacy in our society. If it had been designed as such, the rollout of Neighbors operated as a perfect decoy; a wonderful distraction from the more pressing discussions needed about persistent, widespread, and more invasive surveillance by the state.
Svenson might argue that his work turns people toward larger issues of privacy and relationships between the state and its citizens. For the purposes of this essay, I don’t wish to be so generous. Defiantly, I spin on…
I think it's odd that no one has pointed out how the couch is facing out into the street, not int...
I see sadness and/or depression
The voyeurism of this piece bothers me. It is as if I'm prying into my sad neighbor's business. ...
I love the peacefulness of the subject. Relax, recharge. The giraffe adds playfulness
How can you be so sad, living next to a giraffe?
I find this piece unsettling. I live in an urban setting. Viewing this image makes me wonder wh...
When Does Surveillance Art Cross the Line? Here’s an interesting piece Barbara Pollock wrote for ...
We live in a world of internet, long lenses and iCloud. Our lives-private and public, are becomin...
We seem to be becoming less private and at the same time more isolated. Is that what happens when...
The ambiguity of privacy and public is intensified by the development of digital cameras. Will th...
People live uncomfortably because of the high population density. They have no choice and got use...
Is it voyeuristic? Yes, gracefully so. Is it invasive? No. Svenson's subjects, such as the man in...
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