Conspiracy Dwellings: Surveillance in Contemporary Art brings together nine illustrated essays by theorists and art practitioners about artworks made in the midst of conflict or from the position of commentary and critique in topics that span from the 70s to the present day. The authors Anthony Downey, Christine Eyene, Liam Kelly, Verena Kyselka, Robert Knifton, Maciej Ożóg, Outi Remes, Paula Roush, Matthew Shaul and Pam Skelton consider the practical and theoretical status of surveillance: its impact on urban space, ethics, citizenship, civic liberties, conflict and resistance as well as strategies of counter-surveillance that propose new spectatorial positions, individual empowerment, increased interactivity and social networking.
Artists discussed include John Aiken, Willie Doherty, Gavin Jantjes, Verena Kyselka, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Jill Magid, Gundula Schulze-Eldowy and Artur Zmijewski, representing international issues and perspectives from England, Germany, Mexico, Northern Ireland, Poland and South Africa.
Today, in post 9/11 times of economic difficulties and political uncertainly, the subject of patriotism, freedom and democratic rights are once again high on the agenda, raising questions such as where do we draw the line—how far does surveillance have to go before it worries us—and at what point is the citizen regarded as a threat to the state?
