Research Conclusion & Analysis
Reflecting on this project now it has reached its conclusion is somewhat rewarding, I feel I have provided a coherent body of work covering the initial themes I was keen to make work about but also extending my process way beyond those initial ideas. Simply, I was focusing on the idea of surveillance and control in contemporary society, how we act and are made to act in public due to restrictions put in place by governments, private security firms and self inflicted restrictions was the initial trail of thought. This project to some small degree was an extension of my dissertation thesis and much of the reading I covered during my thesis was reading I then went back to for this Project. The main point of reference for the body of work at the start and maintained all the way through to the end was Michel Foucault, his writing about the panopticon and an ‘all-seeing-eye’ was writing which enthused me and led me further into the project, my favourite excerpt from his writing is
“He who is subjected to a field of visibility, and who knows it, assumes responsibility for the constraints of power; he makes them play spontaneously upon himself; he inscribed in himself the power relation in which he simultaneously plays both roles; he becomes the principle of his own subjection.” (Foucault, 1977, Discipline and Punish, P. 202-3)
This led me to focus on surveillance in a new light, it always exists whether or not there is a physical camera around. We act as if we are being watched constantly and we place ourselves in the spotlight of this visibility every-day. The project was difficult to visualise at first in the way in which I believed was right. A almost repertoire narrative eventually fell under my feet and stemmed from my research into the artist Matthew Connors’ book ‘Fire In Cairo’ In which he uses photography to provide a narrative of his choice of an event unfolding before his eyes, ‘fine-art documentary’ is a term that may be used if a term is needed. Relating these Images to my concept with a elliptical approach felt natural for me, providing visual tropes that told more of a story than I ever could and aligning all these small relating topics through my photography. This elliptical approach is something I feel works very well with my style now and my way of looking at the world, connecting the dots through images. The focus flowing from London to Berlin felt natural and the engagement of all the architectural historic elements that became the foundation of my project was discovered by chance but once I read more and more on the Field Station Berlin it became very apparent that my body of work would focus all around this tower. It allowed me to pinpoint my idea of capturing the world of surveillance in a rather abstract way and gave the project grounding. The whole history behind the tower amazes me and mystery surrounding this place added to the project immensely. The fact that even during the time it was in operation the understanding of its operations was very limited and the whole area was masked in red tape. This red tape was a metaphor for the restriction of public and private space which connects to the surveillance state I previously mentioned, we are restricted from acting with free thought and movement and with each day more of the world is becoming privatised. Ironically even the Teufelsberg tower is now privately owned and a questionably entry fee is charged upon entry. Especially during the cold war when free movement and speech was restricted. Of Course, nowadays Berlin compared to most cities seems quite liberal and the surveillance is limited as individuals rights are held up highly by the government due to the past mistakes. But when wandering throughout my 5 mile parameter of the tower, this city of espionage was still sensed and the introduction of facial recognition at Sudkreuz station was a notion of this ‘all-seeing-eye’ coming back into operation. The eye in the sky is always watching. And this is what I was attempting to bring to surface in this photographic book & accompanying exhibition.