Fear, safety, surveillance and resistance

Surveillance DK:UK

In spite of the advantages they bring, the burgeoning use of surveillance systems is eroding our understanding of privacy and our right to be anonymous within the terms of the law. Denmark and London are two prime examples of the ever-widening presence of surveillance. London is the most visually observed city in the world. For example, every single car entering the centre of London has its number plate registered. Denmark has a less visible but all-pervasive state; the personal state number is the only key to society. The Danish government doesn't even need an official census.

Research into the state of surveillance in London and Denmark forms the basis for six concepts that will be exhibited by Designskolen Kolding at the Danish Design Centre during spring 2004. The individual exhibits are currently under production. This website presents the concepts that the students are creating for the exhibition.

E.g. How to Disappear

As the title describes, the 'How to Disappear' kit is a practical do it yourself kit containing all the tips and gadgets you need to fight surveillance. Packaged in anonymous video cassette cases you will find a selection of 'disappearance-articles' along with usage instructions, a catalogue with more gadgets and tips, and of course, a lot more information on the subject.

We hope, that by making this extreme kit, we can provoke the visitor, NOT to disappear, but to take part in the debate and demand the respect for their own private life we feel is an essential part of a democratic society.

Elsewhere: SAFE: Design Takes on Risk

SAFE is an exhibition of design objects and prototypes designed in order to 1) respond to situations of emergency; 2) protect the body and the mind from dangerous or stressful situations; and 3) provide a sense of comfort and safety. In the tradition of such great MoMA exhibitions as Machine Art (1934), Architecture Without Architects (1964), and Modern Masks and Helmets (1991), it redirects the pursuit of beauty toward the appreciation of economy of function and technology. The exhibition was proposed and is organized by Paola Antonelli, who chooses objects traditionally considered products of engineering, rather than of design—a distinction that has never given much pause to MoMA curators. It features objects that were born from innovation, as well as solutions that stem from traditional material culture.