publicity by stanza....2004. A series of works based on security systems and public interaction.
made by stanza...redirects to stanza main home page.

Publicity. 2004. By Stanza.

'publicity' public surveillance open source systems.

COPYRIGHT STANZA 2003 - 4

Stanza. The WATERSHED MEDIA CENTRE
Live networked data incorporated into the environment projected into the watershed.



Publicity. 2004. By Stanza.

I am looking for buildings and architects who might want to experience their space as an artwork, in a new and experimental way; please get in touch.

Keywords: CCTV, facade, opensource, real time, surveillance, artwork, public domain

Installation. Theme: Inside <-> Outside

This artworks questions who owns the data. Who is watching us in these spaces. Most buildings have CCTV and they use it to observe the people inside the space, ie the public.

By hacking the real time analogue and digital CCTV feeds you can reclaim the data space from private to public domain.

All the resulting CCTV network is projected over the buildin. It is also presented online online by hacking the live CCTV feed.

The outside of the building becomes a huge display network. In essence the outside of the building represents the inside of the building. The space and the physical body is represented as a huge display.

In this artwork I hacked the technology in the building to broadcast all the information outside over the internet into the public domain. This makes the building a giant broadcast TV station. The information no longer becomes private, it is opened out, and is not longer privileged, it is transparent. The data although observable by everyone ie, everybody in the whole world is watching you, is also available to be owned by yourself ie, the public. The public are owners of the data they make. In fact the public are the data inside this space. The body reclaims the data space.

The work 'public cctv' is the creation of a socio-politcal cultural artefact, that creates real time images with the systems that are used in everyday surveillance, and any other systems that are in deployed inside the 'public' building. The work fuses the inside space, and the outside of the space, and the real time data of the body and the data of the surrounding environment. This system allows the public to be in and engaged within a 'parallel reality'. This is an observation of the self within the context of the continuous stream of data that surrounds us in this case accessing the buildings own surveillance.

The impressions are not literal interpretations, or snap shots, but fused metaphors, creating a unique experience of the place, the space, and the environment. The images are sensory illusions of a data space with the body firmly placed in the centre. They are rendered real time films, ie real time unfolding environments. This is a syncronous unfolding of reality from multiple perspectives. These images will be used as inside outside experieces unfolding in real time of the internalised space.

The work can be adapted to be a memory space a bank of memories by fusing the recorded data with the real time footage. A real time memory space, a psychometry or the architecture. This new'Psychometric architecture' becomes a techno space or surveillance embedded in the space capturing the total environmental experience. The walking, talking, moving is merged and reconfigured and replayed as seems fit. The reconstructed space thus becomes a gallery a gloabl panopticon.

I am looking for buildings and architects who might want to experience their space as an artwork, in a new and experimental way; please get in touch.

stanza CCTV artwork


Nothing is private everything is public. No-one can opt out, everyone is a player. Smile now the whole world is watching, you oare being recorded on VVTV.


Concepts

The final perspective being that of the user or in this case the public who are integrated into the data of the artwork that they become the artwork. In essence it will be a real time artefact. Never the same again always different forever.

It will also be have other possible metaphors. The focus will be the live dynamic interpretation of the space and the people both inside and outside. CCTV systems are everywhere in the public domain. We are all actors, bit part actors, in a giant movie called life. Except we cannot watch, it is not on public display and the results are monitored, filtered and distributed without our permission.

This artwork puts the public on public display. The surveyed public as everyday actoirs are displayed using giants screens in public space, ie within the public city. To use the building the networks are part of and re-represent these building. All the imagery from the inside of the building is used to made the outside of the building. The building becomes a huge display device for the networked data infrastructure.

 


stanza CCTV artwork called Publicity

Technology.

In the first version an experimental relay was adapted from the Watersheds CCTV live footage of the general public entering the Watershed gallery. A live internet broadcast on 26.2.2004. This used multiple CCTV cameras output through a composite BNC, and then through an analogue to digital converter. (could be a effects box for future use). The DV out is then input to Quicktime Broadcaster the free software version and out put and served up through Sorenson to the apple quicktime streaming server and unicast over the internet.

Security

rtsp://rtsp.watershed.co.uk/live/stanza.sdp
(no longer online in real time but documention is available)

Stanza Image Publicity

SEE MOVIE

Future Development.

I propose to build a touch screen kiosk that controls all the feeds from the cctv and is available for the public to 'play' with. The screen will have new filters and using custom software it will allow a whole series of perspectives on the people and the space. This way the users control the images that are displayed either on the building or in the street.

Software.

Software. The software will be customised and built to meet both the specification of the units that are already deployed in a building or more will be brought in to enhance the system and give camera intelligence. The images off the streams are then manipulated. These data streems are distributed to a system where they are processed before being rendered to a screen. The outcomes are affecting experiences with effected manipulation. With additional modification and the whole system can also be web based to allow real time broadcasting of the results. (as was the first original test to a quicktime streaming server). The opening up of data and information to the public domain is an important part of the work.

Hardware.

I have been talking to CCTV systems engineers and other programmers. I am interested in working with an organisation that might utilise either the buildings intelligent data that may be in place such as cctv as well as the cameras in the touch screens.

Version One: Made and shown at the Watershed Media Centre. This version also broadcast the results onto the internet. ie live cctv online for all to see.


stanza CCTV artwork called Publicity


Performance

I have devised a 'Publicity' performance using and mixing the data in the living space as a performance. Using 2 times pzms and vision mixer in real time. All the resulting data is projected over the building so that the outside of the building becomes a huge display network. In essence the outside of the building represents the inside of the building. The space and the physical body is represented as a huge display.

The cctv images and the protected data is externalised and made public. There is nothing to hide. Everything is made transparent.

Output.

- through online environment for monitoring of cameras for open access

- back into urban spaces as installations controlled via touch screen

- projected into fabric as real time film of the internalised space.

- re made into a real building whose whole architecture is the data from the imnside of the internalised space.

- representation of flow in building and space.


To Do.

Aquire more cameras for unique installation set up.

Find Camera partners.

Make public installation.


LEGAL ISSUES FOR CCTV

There are a whole series of legal issues surrounding the use and misuse of CCTV. CCTV data is protected by the data protection act and these acts vary from country to country and across borders. You have rights to view these images although the copyright image owners will not be yours even if you are the subject. Anyone recorded on cctv also has he right to request a copy of the cctv footage.

In terms of my project, this is the legal advice from a lawyer I was given:

It seems there are two choices

1. Approach the Information Commissioner for guidance which is likely to take some time but will be definitive

2. Ensure that the use of the CCTV system is likely to be outside the scope of the Data Protection Act 1998 or will be exempt from under the Act.

Basically the conditions one would need to follow, to broadcast the CCTV footage (via web, pdas etc), for your projects are:

- The use of fixed specified cameras that are not focused on individuals (although you will note many organisations do this, but they dont broadcast the information)

- Ensure to make individuals non-recognisable (ie. Through some manipulation/blurring of the image).

- Provide signage and information so that the public are aware of the project and its intended use.

- The footage would be used for a creative project only.

© stanza. 2004 www.stanza.co.uk

stanza CCTV artwork called Publicity

Funding

This project needs support on all levels, both financial and also collaborative support FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE TECHNOLOGY, and to find venues who are intertested in doing this.

Venues where this would be good include the new extension to Tate Modern, Colleges, Hospitals.

This project requires further funding for specialised installation set up using multiple projectors and specialised display technology.

TECHNICAL

In order to re -represent realtime cctv footage online and in an installation space a whole series of technical issues need to be overcome , the fundamental one being how to deal with such a large multiple frame rate over the net. I have already made a number of solutions, and work arounds.

However I am seeking consulation in order to move this technically to the next level. I need acess to other cctv networks, to broadband network technicians, and to camera makers and consultants.

Initial research AND prototype development was supported by Nesta and the Clarks Bursery.

stanza CCTV artwork called Publicity

Other related stanza works using CCTV.

I am also building a real time audio visual sculpture that represents the soul of the city.see (SOUL)

SOUL uses cctv to make large sacel outdoor events.....http://www.stanza.co.uk/ideasrus/soul/index.html
Live Data on the roof of the Watershed .........http://www.stanza.co.uk/ideasrus/display/index.htm
Online 3d sculpure using live cctv..............http://www.stanza.co.uk/micro_city/index.html
Urban Genreation real installation in gallery using cctv .......http://www.stanza.co.uk/urban_tapestry/index.html
Spying on crowrds in NYC ........http://www.stanza.co.uk/i_spy/index.htm

COPYRIGHT STANZA 2003 - 4



- other related works below -