Addie Wagenknecht's Surveillance Art Exposes Security Flaws
American artist Addie Wagenknecht (born 1981, Portland) uses CCTV cameras as core elements in her work, exploring technology's pervasiveness and its socio-political implications. Her piece "While you were away," shown in the exhibition "Liminal Laws," streams surveillance footage from insecure online services, accessible via default passwords. The software only shows moments with no human presence, creating an empty spectacle. Earlier works include "Asymmetric Love" (2012), a dystopian baroque chandelier of cameras, and "Collateral Youth" (2013), cameras coated in gold, silver, and diamonds. Wagenknecht combines aesthetic research with hacker ethics and conceptual art.
Key facts
- Addie Wagenknecht is an American artist born in 1981 in Portland.
- She uses CCTV cameras as constitutive elements in her artworks.
- Her work addresses technology's pervasiveness in contemporary society.
- The piece 'While you were away' streams surveillance video from insecure online services.
- The software shows only moments with no human presence detected.
- Default usernames and passwords were used to access the footage.
- Earlier works include 'Asymmetric Love' (2012) and 'Collateral Youth' (2013).
- The exhibition 'Liminal Laws' featured the new work.
Entities
Artists
- Addie Wagenknecht
Institutions
- Artribune
- stichting MU
Locations
- Portland
- United States