The introduction of networking and information exchange technologies allowed for more people to be globally connected to not just each other, but the information and resources that would previously be site-specific or simply inaccessible to the wider population. This, especially coupled with the desire of the first Internet creators for this technology to be open, accessible, and used for public good, created a virtual environment and connection channels that, through enhanced information exchange, challenged existing power structures and made visible what was previously unseen.
As all technology is, the Internet is a neutral tool - and it can be used by diverse actors, all in pursuit of their own goals. WikiLeaks is a website that was founded in 2006 by Julian Assange to host whistleblower documents, and is the platform of origin for many hidden processes becoming uncovered: war documents, election campaign leaks, internal discriminatory practices of massive corporations. However, the immense amounts of personal data hosted by all Internet users on various websites can also be turned against them - by private or government actors collecting that information, that can be used for various private interests, from targeted ad campaigns to intense and invasive government surveillance.
Many New Media artists respond to these notions of online transparency, heightened visibility, and a desire for open systems in their art practices. Hasan M. Elahi is one of them, and his immense work Tracking Transience: The Orwell Project (2003-ongoing) is a critical and an ironic engagement with the ideas of visibility and surveillance.
Hasan M. Elahi, Tracking Transience: The Orwell Project, (2003-ongoing)
Hasan M. Elahi ended up on the FBI watchlist due to his travel history appearing suspicious
, and was intensely investigated by the agency for many months. As a response to the invasive tactics of the FBI, Elahi decided to reclaim his control on what information is private to him by publicizing his entire existence. He created a website that tracked every detail of his life: constant updates on his location and actions, regular images of him and his surroundings, small details like the food he was eating or the restroom he was visiting. This self-surveillance
performance lasted for years.
This work responds to the idea of information trails on the Internet and their illusionary privacy and anonymity by making a loud statement: this information won't ever be private to certain actors, so let it be visible for everyone else; turning the eye of the surveillance back on the system in power by recognizing its presence.
Ironically, this work ended up obstructing Elahi's visibility. With so many data points, things stop making sense, and the surveilling party must now sort through thousands of diverse data points to find information of interest: when so much is visible, you don't know where to start looking.
