Surveillance Studies. A Reader: Congratulations, Torin and David! (… proud for legal readymade FACELESS (2007) to be included in the Art and Culture section in Andrea Mubi Brighenti‘s text Artveillance: At the Crossroads of Art and Surveillance, p389ff, on surveillance art and visibility regimes)

The Swiss Augenoptikvergenossenschaft Team 93has just published AUGENBLICK MAL (Winterthur 2018, ed Sabine Müller, Jacqueline Vinzelberg)… at the occasion of its 25th anniversary in German and French. Behind it’s eye-catching cover the book compiles reflections on the history of seeing and seeing devices from glasses to CCTV –  featuring Manu’s work FACELESS.

Johannes Zeller’s article for the Goethe Institute on artists exploring AI includes my narrative work ALGO-RHYTHM.

Caught the last day at Mozfest 2018, turned into a tracker as part of a in-venue game, caught a critical panel on AI (‘Collateral Damage’, that didn’t address the challenge of quasi-monopolistic corporate players enough though), and browsed at least a dozen stalls and workshops

‘What lies behind the British government’s commitment to the conservative regional order in the Gulf?’ – was the question in the press release for David Wearing’s book launch that drew me to the Brunei Lecture Theatre yesterday evening. Speaking to a full-to-bursting auditorium were David Wearing, Iona Craig and Owen Jones, who we filmed to be included in my documentary film The Billion Dollar Dissident. Here a link to the publication AngloArabia: Why Gulf Wealth Matters to Britain, by David Wearing

Enjoyed the UnBias presentation at V&A’s Digital Design Weekend – Fairness Toolkit by Proboscis: Algorithms, bias, trust and fairness: how do you engage young people is understanding and discussing these issues? The kit is now available for download here, check it out!

Paula Albuquerque : The Webcam as an emerging cinematic medium. Amsterdam University Press. Positive surprise to read a about my film FACELESS being contextualised yet from a new angle, and this more than 10 years after its release!

After years of reading about Songdo near Seoul as one of the most prominent case studies for applied smart city technologies, I finally had a chance to put foot onto its pavements and parks. While this greenfield city impresses for the fact that its land was reclaimed from the Yellow Sea, it struck me that the “smart” aspect remains invisible to the visitor’s eye. The Hidden Picture Puzzle gave away two clues: trying to dispose of an empty coffee paper cup, a smart bin stubbornly remained closed, as Sesame only opens its doors to those locals who know the secret pin. Raising my gaze, a huge electronic billboard informed me that I should worry about the air I breathe, by providing me with up to date visualised percentages of pollutants. Until 5pm, streets and pedestrian places were absolutely empty. Some of the neighbourhoods, uninhabited, remained empty even after end of school and work.  I have recorded the ambivalent mood in Songdo with my KODAK360 cam.