Watch/Watched/Watching

Watch/Watched/Watching, 2022, interactive installation
CCTV cameras, cables, wood, acrylic sheets, fabric, one-way mirror film and screens

"Watch/Watching/Watched" is a collaborative project with Ruyi Ding that initially emerged from our shared fascination with surveillance and its impact on viewers.

Within the installation, there exists a small CCTV camera enclosed within a black box. This camera is equipped with one-way mirror film, allowing the audience to perceive only their own eyes when they peer into the box through a designated hole. Meanwhile, a screen situated on the floor displays real-time footage captured by this camera.

As spectators engage with the installation, they often become aware that they are being filmed through the small CCTV inside the box while they peer through the hole. However, what they typically fail to notice is the presence of a second camera discreetly positioned between the screens. This secondary camera records the audience from a lower-left perspective, capturing their entire form as they engage with the hole. Consequently, these two screens simultaneously present both sides of the audience's consciousness, depicting their awareness and unawareness of being under surveillance.

︎ Marine One