Oil on canvas board
2023

I think we all feel watched to a certain degree in our lives. Our data is out there, and here in the UK we are one of the most surveilled country in the world. Following on with the ‘Responding to images of the Body’ at AAL, this painting was created under the week’s theme of Surveillance.

I had originally thought to use a series of Google Maps screenshots, zooming uncomfortably in on the faces of random passers-by. I collected a huge number of these on my daily route to the train station. However, when I got to painting, I realised it didn’t quite have the impact I was hoping for. They were out on the street, and yes, they didn’t necessarily consent to their image being used like that. But there’s an almost unspoken social contract that once you’re outside your image is fair game, as awful as a concept as that sounds.

It didn’t feel quite intrusive enough, which meant I had to make it personal. Instead, I compiled images of myself going about my daily life: sitting on the sofa, checking the fridge, opening the door, and compiled these into one image which made a snapshot of me in my personal space. Washed in greys and unfinished in areas of ‘non-importance’ I think it was surprisingly impactful, if only just to me.