{"id":2592,"date":"2014-04-17T09:30:14","date_gmt":"2014-04-17T13:30:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com\/blog\/?p=2592"},"modified":"2026-03-31T09:01:53","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T13:01:53","slug":"eyestalkers-art-installation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\/eyestalkers-art-installation\/","title":{"rendered":"“Eyestalkers” art installation puts all eyes on you"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s really nothing that\u2019s not <\/i>creepy about the “Eyestalkers” exhibit in Deventer, in the Netherlands. First of all, it\u2019s a display of disembodied eyeballs (not the real thing, thankfully). Second, they\u2019re bobbling atop red, vein-like stalks. Third, they appear to be disturbingly larger than life (even if eyeballs are<\/i> slightly larger outside the socket).<\/p>\n

But the studio behind this unsettling spectacle, Front404, isn’t in it for the gross out factor. There\u2019s a deeper message in how these eyeballs behave. As people pass by, they turn and move. They watch. And they\u2019re meant to remind us all that, really, we\u2019re being tracked all the time\u2014by surveillance cameras, computers, even our own cell phones. It\u2019s an abstract idea that takes on solid significance when you learn exactly how many cameras watch over pedestrians and drivers in London<\/a>, for example.<\/p>\n

\"Eyestalkers.<\/a>

Eyestalkers. From Ozarts Etc.<\/p><\/div>\n

According to Front404, we’ve lost sight of what\u2019s happening in our world. We really ought to be more suspicious of all this surveillance, and the studio aims to cultivate our paranoia<\/a>. But art being art, the exhibit doesn’t tell us what we should do beyond that\u2014how we might curb surveillance, or how we might escape it.<\/p>\n

It certainly doesn’t suggest we might embrace the watchful eyes of the world.<\/p>\n

Consider these stats, however: In January 2013, Instagram reported more than 90 million<\/a> users per month. In February 2014, Twitter reported more than 241 million<\/a> active users per month. And as of March 2014, Facebook had more than 1 billion<\/a> mobile active users per month.<\/p>\n

Maybe people don\u2019t want to be watched on the street, but they\u2019re not shy about sharing their lives. You might even say there\u2019s a trend toward clamoring for attention, virtually screaming to be seen and heard over the din of others with the same cyber-goals.<\/p>\n

It seems all of this surveillance is having a circular effect. Opening up our lives to virtual friends (who may or may not be real friends, or even acquaintances) feels perfectly normal in a world that\u2019s always watching anyway. Increasing surveillance is creating not paranoia but an untroubled sense of acceptance instead.<\/p>\n