Abstract reality: the alienating gaze

Date
2007-11-06
Authors
Matheson, Clare
Supervisor
Item type
Thesis
Degree name
Master of Arts in Art and Design
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Auckland University of Technology
Abstract

This is a visual arts project consisting of 20% exegesis and 80% practical work. My work explores the visual possibilities of using the digital accumulation of data to convey socio-political concepts in relation to the surveillance of the individual in modern western society. The nature of surveillance is investigated with reference to Michel Foucault's metaphorical use of Jeremy Bentham's panopticon in describing the organization of society in the modern nation state. My critical interest lies in the intrusive aspect of surveillance in regard to the privacy of the individual and the concomitant sense of alienation and disempowerment. The concept of 'abstract reality' has been developed to describe the nature of the surveillance of the individual in the modern nation state.

Description
Keywords
Surveillance , Panopticon , Privacy , Heuristic , Foucault , Society
Source
DOI
Publisher's version
Rights statement
Collections