"Pervasive Surveillance" by Cida de Aragon, as part of the UNLV MFA Thesis Exhibition

The Las Vegas based artist Cida de Aragon presents a site-specific wall installation, video works, and large-format photography that criticize the excessive surveillance we increasingly endure in public space. This exhibition is on view from Feb. 6 to Feb. 17. Viewings are available from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays.

An opening reception will take place at 6 p.m on Thursday, Feb. 9.

About The Exhibition

Today, not only public space but also our private spaces are constantly being surveilled and controlled and private data is collected.

Continuous ubiquitous surveillance of our movements and activities means that we "never walk alone." Private and sensitive information is constantly harvested and stored remotely, and available at the click of a computer mouse to others. China has now over 630 million surveillance cameras installed in its cities. This unwelcome intrusion in our privacy is a concern, spreading widely through every part of society. Privacy has become luxury.

The aggressive use of such surveillance technologies enters every aspect of our lives, and controls and observes our every step, disguised as benign.

Face-recognition software, the ubiquitous use of surveillance cameras, software tracking all movement, and preferences in social media and searches, all are valuable data resources to government, organizations, and ‘big tech’. The latest addition to the list are smartphone apps monitoring your health levels and heartbeat, or nano-robots inserted in your bloodstream and tracking all your vital functions.

How long until they will monitor your thoughts?

The ubiquitous ever-watching eye is a collective unconscious image that has become the symbol for excessive control, monitoring, and surveillance. Yes, we live in Orwellian times!

"Pervasive Surveillance" presents a site-specific wall installation, video works and large-format photography that critic the excessive surveillance we all increasingly endure in public space. Our private spaces are constantly being surveilled and controlled, and private data is collected. In times of questions of freedom of speech and manipulating media, this exhibition simulates radical, aggressive and pervasive surveillance and makes the viewer aware of the threat to our hard-gained freedom.

About The Artist

Cida de Aragon (MA Goldsmiths) is a Brazilian-Italian media artist and photographer, working globally.

She has over three decades of experience in contemporary media art, photography, video installation, public art, and graphic design. Cida has worked extensively in Berlin, London, Sao Paulo, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, and Las Vegas. These frequent moves enabled her to experience life in various contexts and settings, and to learn from diverse cosmopolitan lifestyles that led to a strong interest in public space and neglected urban sites.

Cida is an internationally recognized multidisciplinary artist and designer, offering a unique portfolio. Her artworks have been published in three monographs and exhibited at important venues and galleries in the U.S., Germany, Australia, Singapore, and the UK.

The recurring themes in her work focus on aspects of:

• Surveillance of public spaces,
• Expression of body movement
• Migration and language.

She uses electronic, sound, and digital image technology to create immersive installations that envelop the viewer in image and sound. She creates architectural video installations, large format multimedia works, and immersive sound environments.