31 Down

PERFORMANCES


in(security)

As wireless police surveillance cameras begin to pop up in cities around the world (Bushwick, Brooklyn, was the first in New York City in April of 2006), we can rest assured that our streets are now safe in the hands of authority. The installation of 50 '505' surveillance cameras in Bushwick cost $20,000 a piece. This first wave of cameras cost taxpayers 9.8 million dollars and an additional 80 million dollars of cameras are due to come.
What would it be like to be one of those highly trusted surveyors of national and private security, watching the feeds of hundreds of cameras all over the city?

"A stronger border is what Americans
want and it's what our security demands
and that is what Texas is going to deliver"
- Texas Gov. Perry

As recent events have become overwhelming, Governor Perry of Texas has let the online American Border Patrol police the nation's Texas-Mexico border. U.S. residents can now protect the border from illegal immigration with the help of online security cameras positioned along the border.

in(security), 31 Down's online chat drama, assembles a security task force that polices the streets of New York City. The audience is comprised of security officers that communicate in an online chat room and discuss what they see on Web cameras around the New York City area.
What is our responsibility online? Does the "if you see something, say something" slogan carry over to the World Wide Web? What have we learned by cases such as the tragic suicide of Brandan Vedas (The Ripper) in 2003. These logs of the chat transcript are a brutal and horrifying realization of real-life tragedy unfolding in an online community.
in(security) was aimed to provoke the nature of these online dilemmas and the responsibility and security issues that involve us as we pass through the World Wide Web.

For more information about the design, execution and thoughts behind this project please read this paper.
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