Hasan Elahi’s lecture discussed his ongoing creative explorations into the consequences of living under constant surveillance. In 2002, the FBI suspected the artist of posing a national security risk. This erroneous supposition of his character led to intensive investigations and months of interrogation. Through this harrowing experience, Elahi created of an extensive online database, primarily made up of camera phone images called “Tracking Transience,” which publicly displays a thorough, yet intentionally selective, depiction of almost every aspect of his life. Twelve years later, the voluntary and involuntary contribution to a massive public database of personally identifying information has become a norm of contemporary life. In an overview of Elahi’s work, the artist will explore the creative choices he made to both subvert and engage big data.
