An Obscure Camera

The fascination with Camera Obscura has captured audience imagination drawing people worldwide from Victorian times to the present day. The spectacle of entering a dark room through which to witness and actively peer out to the surrounding landscape is both theatrically enticing and technically mysterious. An Obscure Camera develops these ideas for a 21st-century context.

We enter a large dark space and are immersed by a multitude of ornate Rococo frames projected onto the surrounding walls and ceiling. Each of these frames contains a close-up view of the live outdoor environment outside of the building. As we walk around the space, the frames move with us, traveling in accordance with our speed and direction. New subjects enter and pass through the frames as their viewpoint changes. We now find that we can begin to scan, track, and follow different features in the outdoor spaces, including its inhabitants, through our motion within the installation.

Evoking aspects of contemporary surveillance culture, the installation gives us the power to explore, seek, and inspect anything and anyone we find interesting. In doing so we navigate the fine line between observer and voyeur, physically enacting the choices made by the countless algorithms that analyse our daily lives.

Location & Audience

The work is best suited for large dark indoor spaces that have light walls for projection and room for audiences to walk around. A cavernous dome-like space is ideal. There also needs to be a good throughflow of people around the venue (e.g. shoppers, commuters, visitors etc). Target audiences include those seeking original interactive experiences, and people curious about the technologies employed by multinational companies. The installation is playful and works well with groups, families as well as individuals. It is suitable for children 8 years upwards.

Presentations

2024 Towner Gallery, Eastbourne (work in progress)

2024 Chichester University (work in progress)

2024 In Space, Edinburgh (work in progress)

2023 Brighton Dome (work in progress)

Credits

Conceived and Created by: Nic Sandiland

Producers: Yael Flexer / Madaline Wilson

AI Tracking Programming: Evan Morgan Paul Hayes, Chris Cowden

Supported by Arts Council England, The Brighton Dome, In Space, Arts Council England