CTRL

E PREE

Rhetorics of Surveillance from Bentham to Big Brother

edited by Thomas Y. Levin, Ursula Frohne, and Peter Weibel

ZKM Center for Art and Media | Karlsruhe The MIT Press Cambridge, Massachusetts London, England

A publication by the ZKM | Center for Art and Media, Karlsruhe on the occasion of the exhibition

CTRL [SPACE ] Rhetorics of Surveillance from Bentham to Big Brother

ZKM | Karlsruhe 12 October 2001 - 24 February 2002

2002 ZKM I Center for Art and Media, Karlsruhe, Germany; and Massachusetts Institute of Technology All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means (including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval) without permission in writing from the publisher. Individual texts are copyrighted by the respective authors. This book was printed and bound in Graz, Austria, by Universitatsdruckerei Klampfer GmbH. Library of Congress Control Number: 2001096063 ISBN 0-262-62165-7

Beyond the Rhetoric of Panopticism:

Surveillance as Cybernetics

The French historian Arlette Farge, together with Michel Foucault, has worked on eighteenthcentury lettres de cachet, private petitions with reports of family quarrels and neighborhood denunciations addressed to the King, to be decided. Tpe system of repression
1
1 _ Ariette Farge and Michel Foucault, Le dsordre des familles. Lettres de cachet des Archives de la Bastille, G a l l i m a r d , Paris 1982

was thus based on a (somewhat fictitious) intermingling of the private and public spheres. This discursive field took place in a mediatic sphere - the symbolic regime of letters, addressees and senders - but also in the optical realm. After the guillotining of King Louis XVI in the course of the French Revolution, the omnipresence of the King's eye, as brilliantly described by Louis Marin (be it on coins, be it in portraits, be it in the imaginary of the subjects), left an empty space, and this virtual gaze has constantly asked to be replaced.
Louis Marin, Le portrait du roi, M i n u i t , Paris 1981 1981.

This substitution has subsequently been performed, first photographically (Alphonse

460 I 07 C O N T R O L , S U R V E I L L A N C E , A N D E V E R Y D A Y LIFE

B e r t i l l o n ' s Photographic cinematographically,

judiciaire), and finally,

then two

public

feedback

can

add

unforeseen

a s p e c t s , c o l l a p s e s a n d b r e a k d o w n s ; that is, i n f o r m a t i o n (in t h e s y s t e m s t h e o r y s e n s e of information). W h i l e it m i g h t officially b e the f u n c t i o n o f p u b l i c a n d s e m i - p u b l i c v i d e o c a m e r a s to prevent crimes, the television camera, on t h e contrary, n o t o n l y w a n t s to d o c u m e n t , b u t e v e n to g e n e r a t e t h e event. T h a t is w h y Big Brother h a s m a n i f e s t e d s u c h a revolut i o n i n t h e p a n o p t i c episteme. N o t o n l y is the a n o n y m o u s power o f the surveilling eye n o l o n g e r felt as a m e n a c e , b u t it is s u b j e c t e d to a k i n d o f p r o d u c t i v e , r e v e r s e a p p r o p r i a t i o n o f p o w e r , s e e n as a n opport u n i t y to e x p e r i m e n t w i t h t h e l o c a t i o n o f t h e s e l f ( w h i c h , as w e k n o w f r o m Jacques Lacan, is c o n s t i t u t e d i n t h e m i r r o r experie n c e only). T h e r e has b e e n a pointed dislocation of t h e P r o t e s t a n t / C a l v i n i s t ethics o f self-inquiry
4
4

h u n d r e d y e a r s later, electro-optically, w i t h the television camera; the Televisor in O r w e l l ' s 1984, a n d n o w t h e t e l e v i s i o n form a t , Big Brother.

C l o s e archival i n v e s t i g a t i o n reveals that royal s u r v e i l l a n c e i n t h e F r e n c h ancien

regime w a s n o t felt as s u p p r e s s i o n b u t as a k i n d o f p r o t e c t i o n , to w h i c h w i s h e s m i g h t be addressed. This suggests a link between the historical, optical r e g i m e o f p o w e r , a n d t h e o b s c e n e s t a g i n g o f i n d i v i d u a l s i n front o f a n o n y m o u s T V or w e b c a m e r a s , o n t h e set o f t h e real life s o a p Big Brother, l o c a t e d close to C o l o g n e for o n e h u n d r e d days

(March to June 2 0 0 0 ) , w i t h the s l o g a n " Y o u are n o t alone." T h e s e days, the paranoia o f panoptic r e g i m e s i n m o d e r n s o c i e t i e s is b e i n g replaced by a productive, t h o u g h fatal p r o v o c a t i o n o f t h e p u b l i c , b y t h e e x h i b i t i o n o f t h e private. T h e p r i v a t e / p u b l i c f e e d b a c k effects o f Big Brother (the G e r m a n version) h a v e l e d to a s u d d e n reentry o f privacy m a d e public; the private b e c o m e s the obscene (as desribed i n Jean B a u d r i l l a r d ' s c l a s s i c a n a l y s e s ) .
rategies Males, Grasset, Paris 1 9 8 3 ,
3

to t h e m e d i a t i c r e g u l a t i o n o f s t a g e d
M a n f r e d S c h n e i d e r , Die erkaitete Herzschrift.

self-perception. T h e ocular,

voyeuristic

Per autcbiographische hundert.

Text im 20.

Jahr-

Fink. M u n i c h 1986.

p h a n t a s m o f s e e i n g w i t h o u t b e i n g s e e n is b e i n g r e p l a c e d b y t h e p u b l i c , that is, TVcamera-controlled, display a n d regeneration o f t h e self; b o t h t h e v i c t i m a n d t h e v o y e u r derive lust f r o m monitoring, a kind of controlled

N o l o n g e r is p a n o p t i c s u r v e i l l a n c e b e i n g felt as a threat, b u t as a c h a n c e to display oneself u n d e r the gaze o f the camera. Maybe the US-American electronic

t h e playful a c c e p t a n c e o f t h e which

g u a r d ' s g a z e f r o m t h e panopticon, b e c o m e s a n icon o f s u r v e i l l a n c e .

5 . Geoj,g Christ optischen Diskurs der dienkultur,
5

satellite s u r v e i l l a n c e s y s t e m Echelon c a n b e o u t d o n e by a n e n c o d i n g software for e-mail called Pretty Good Privacy. T h e Internet, exactly because it h a s no centralized

T h e first b r o a d c a s t o f Big Brother w a s p r e c e d e d , m G e r m a n y , by a p u b l i c debate

o n t h e a s s u m e d v i o l a t i o n of t h e private s p h e r e a n d o f h u m a n dignity b y subj e c t i n g the players to mediatic toys (which later gave rise to a lot o f p a r o d i e s w i t h g u i n e a - p i g s , for e x a m p l e ) . A f e w m o n t h s later, t h o u g h , after t h e h i g h r a t i n g s o f t h e b r o a d c a s t , n e w v a r i a t i o n s o f t h e f o r m a t are already b e i n g developed. T h e acceptance of surveillance thus reaches a n e w degree; the o m n i p r e s e n c e o f c a m e r a s h a s s u r r e n d e r e d its O r w e l l i a n m e n a c e to a k i n d o f i n v e r s e v o y e u r i s m . W i t h private life i n a h o m e m a d e public, t h e Un-Heimliche (the u n c a n n y ) e n t e r s t h e

m a n a g i n g f u n c t i o n , c a n n o t b e effectively c o n t r o l l e d or c e n s u r e d . T h i s m a r k s its fundamental difference f r o m the television s y s t e m . B u t d o e s t h e p u b l i c still w a n t privacy at all, w h e n interceptions o f private correspondence seem more appealing,

m o r e t h r i l l i n g t h a n ever? Parallel to t h e collapse of the sociological distinction

b e t w e e n private a n d p u b l i c , s u p e r v i s i o n as a t e c h n i q u e o f c o n t r o l is b e i n g r e p l a c e d b y i n t e r c e p t i o n , as i n f o r m a t i o n is d i s t r i b u t e d b y t h e Internet. W h i l e private c o r r e s p o n dence s e e m s s o m e w h a t redundant, only

l i v i n g r o o m . W i t h a r e m a r k a b l e b l i n d spot, t h o u g h : t h e r e w a s n o radio or T V set o n t h e

461

Big Brother

set, t h u s u n d e r p i n n i n g t h e

o f second order observation; t h e next step is p r o b a b l y t h e direct c o u p l i n g o f o b s e r v e d b o d i e s a n d t h e data flow. T h u s w e g e t a literally r e v e r s e n o t i o n o f "personal television," the m o s t recent

e x p e r i m e n t a l o r d e r o f "real life." T h i s b l i n d spot, a c c o r d i n g to s y s t e m s theory, is n e cessary and constitutive; the paradox o f self-observation
6 btii.re
6

requires a second order

Dissonanzeri, Zusammen-

Nikfas L u h m a n n . Sthenographie unci Euryalistik, in Paradoxien,

observation (the observation o f observation)

articulation o f w h a t R a y m o n d W i l l i a m s o n c e called " m o b i l e p r i v a t i z a t i o n " i n a different s e n s e o f domesticated individualism, set w i t h i n a c o m p l e x o f a b s t r a c t p u b l i c systems. The development of broadband
7

Hans U l r i c h G u m b r e c h t and K. Ludwig Pfeiffer (edsV Suhrkamp, Frankfurt/M. 1 9 9 0 , pp.

to i n t r o d u c e a d i f f e r e n t p o i n t o f v i e w . A precondition for Big Brother in G e r m a n y w a s t h e a b s e n c e o f a dialogical f e e d b a c k (coupling) b e t w e e n t h e autopoietic w o r l d in the container and the surrounding

Raymond Williams, Television.

Technology

and Cultural

Form, S c h o c k e n , New York 1974.

(notably satellite) d e l i v e r y s y s t e m s

will

world: n o t e l e p h o n e , n o m a s s m e d i a inside, thus maintaining a system-internal world. O n the o t h e r h a n d , t h e direct tele-voting o f the a u d i e n c e decided w h i c h o f the cast m e m b e r s w a s i n or o u t . T h i s r e m i n d s u s that t h e p u b l i c / p r i v a t e d i c h o t o m y is n o t b o u n d to t h e subject(s) o f T V as s e n d e r b u t also to t h e status o f t h e receiver. O n c e T V b e c o m e s interactive, t h e v i e w e r l o s e s t h e p r i v i l e g e o f s t a y i n g a b s o l u t e l y private a n d e n t e r s t h e p u b l i c , i n t h e s e n s e o f a broadcast-observable field. T h e exiled p l a y e r s w e r e i m m e d i a t e l y provided with personality shows, a kind o f p e r m a n e n t m e d i a t i c r e c y c l i n g o f life a n d a d e - p r o g r a m m i n g o f t h e traditional TV flow. B u t the identification o f life a n d observation only h a p p e n e d i n t h e c o u p l i n g o f Big Brother w i t h the Internet by m e a n s o f w e b c a m s and streaming video in realtime, thus

extend t h e p l a c e s a n d w a y s i n w h i c h w e w a t c h television, r e f i g u r i n g t h e m e d i u m as a kind o f naturalized global infrastructure a n d " b l e n d i n g f a n t a s i e s o f private a d d r e s s and public participation." W i t h its d i r e c t f e e d b a c k to t h e audiy e r g e n c e , j n Lynn Spigel ( e d . ) , (he Persistence . . 8 Lisa Parks FlexiBle M i c r o c a s t m g : Gender. Generation and Television and internet C o n or Television; from Console to Computer,

e n c e , Big Brother w a s a r e j u v e n a t i n g e v e n t tor t h e a g e d m e d i u m of t e l e v i s i o n - a n d its

Duke University Press. Durham 2 0 0 2 .

t r a n s c e n d e n c e at t h e s a m e t i m e , t h r o u g h the convergence of TV and Internet.

Marshall M c L u h a n o n c e d e s c r i b e d T V as a m e d i u m w h i c h i n v i t e s p a r t i c i p a t i o n bec a u s e o f its scarcity o f details, a s k i n g t h e a u d i e n c e to fill i n t h e g a p s . T h e v i e w e r is

9

Marshall M c L u h a n , Understanding

Media. The Extensions

of Man. M I T Press, Cambridge, MA 1 9 9 5 .

no longer passively confronted with TV. A d e g r e e o f interactivity w a s i n t r o d u c e d w i t h z a p p i n g g a d g e t s . Broadcasting implies

a m e d i u m with a central, wave-emitting t o w e r as a n electro-technical e q u i v a l e n t to Jeremy B e n t h a m ' s p a n o p t i c a l p r i s o n des i g n o f 1788 w i t h n o f e e d b a c k . B u t n o w , w h e n coupled w i t h the Internet, broadcasting approaches w h a t Berthold Brecht's radio t h e o r y e n v i s i o n e d i n 1 9 3 2 : it is b e i n g transformed f r o m a distribution apparatus into a c o m m u n i c a t i o n m e d i u m . T h e v i d e o festival Querspur (Linz, A u s intimacy

fulfilling t h e t e c h n o l o g i c a l o p t i o n s o f T V (a signal transfer m e d i u m ) i n another m e d i u m . W h i l e T V still s u m m e d u p a n d d r a m a t i z e d daily Big Brother e v e n t s , selectively a n d i n deferred time, the net transmitted unproce s s e d o b s e r v a t i o n data i n r e a l t i m e - j u s t like video c a m e r a s always did in observation systems. This T V filtering introduces a d i f f e r e n c e , a s p a t i o - t e m p o r a l delay, s o m e w h a t s h e l t e r i n g p r i v a c y f r o m direct observ a t i o n b y a t i m e shift, i n c o n t r a s t to t h e parallel I n t e r n e t w e b c a m o p t i o n o f observi n g Big Brother's inhabitants in realtime.

tria, 1 9 9 0 ) w a s s u b t i t l e d Between and radical exposure.

O n c e life i t s e l f is

digitally c a l c u l a b l e , w i l l t h e d i r e c t c o u p l i n g o f live o b s e r v a t i o n a n d electric flow r e s u l t i n a different a e s t h e t i c s o f life itself? A u t o b i o g r a p h i c a l m e m o r i e s , so far narratively p r e f i g u r e d , w i l l b e r e p l a c e d b y data b a n k s w h i c h only powerful search engines m i g h t conquer. A l g o r i t h m s , that is, already replace t h e p a n o p t i c r e g i m e . T h e i n d i v i d u a l (a

Life- a n d data- s t r e a m i n g t h u s c o i n c i d e , w i t h t h e R e a l Life S o a p t u r n i n g i n t o a Real Live Event. Life i t s e l f is edited: it is v e c t o r e d t o w a r d t h e c a m e r a s as a m e d i u m

462

07 C O N T R O L . S U R V E I L L A N C E . A N D EVERYDAY L I F E

t e r m w h i c h s e e m s to b e c o e x i s t e n t w i t h the d i s c o u r s e o f privacy) will b e d e p r i v e d o f historical t i m e a n d s u b j e c t e d to a cyberarchival d i s c o u r s e , i n s t e a d . I f t h e state o f p r i v a c y is d e f i n e d as b e i n g f r e e from

d e f i n i t i o n by N o r b e r t W i e n e r , d a t i n g b a c k to 1 9 4 8 (the y e a r G e o r g e O r w e l l p u b l i s h e d his Big Brother-scenario 1984), the c o u p l i n g o f c o m m u n i c a t i o n & control leads to cybern e t i c s . " T h u s c o n t r o l b e l o n g s to t h e very
11 Norbert Wiener, Cybernetics, or Control and Communication in The i mal and The Machine.

i n t r u s i o n or d i s t u r b a n c e i n o n e ' s private life or affairs, i n d i v i d u a l m e m o r y is deg r a d e d w h e n it e n t e r s e l e c t r o n i c circuits. W h a t h a p p e n s , i f a private d o c u m e n t is technically re-read a n d t h u s reco(r)ded as digital m o n u m e n t ? T h i s question, o f course, l i n k s u p to t h e s u b j e c t o f a r c h i v e s u n d e r new conditions. Archives traditionally

e s s e n c e o f digital c y b e r s p a c e . T h e storye n g i n e s , that is, t h e driving software i n c o m p u t e r g a m e s , already a i m at m o n i t o r i n g the behaviour o f respective players in

Mew York 1948.

r e a l t i m e , i n o r d e r to d y n a m i c a l l y adapt t h e g a m e o p t i o n s to t h e a c c o r d i n g u s e r m o v e m e n t s . S u r v e i l l a n c e w h i c h h a s b e e n freq u e n t l y l i n k e d to t h e a u d i o v i s u a l r e g i m e , t u r n s into d a t a v e i l l a n c e , that is, t h e r e c o n n a i s s a n c e o f data p a t t e r n s w h i c h c a n o n l y m e t a p h o r i c a l l y c a n b e called " v i s u a l " a n y m o r e . T h e p h y s i c a l b o d y o n w h i c h t h e surv e y i n g g a z e h a s b e e n t a r g e t e d u n t i l n o w , is b e i n g r e p l a c e d b y a virtual b o d y o f data. T h e subject's two bodies b e c o m e apparent i n t h e s u r v e i l l a n c e v i d e o c a m e r a still f r o m P o r t l a n d A i r p o r t , c a p t u r i n g terrorist A t t a p a s s i n g t h e s e c u r i t y g a t e s shortly b e f o r e s e i z i n g t h e a i r p l a n e a n d d i r e c t i n g it i n t o the heart o f the W o r l d Trade Center o f M a n h a t t a n . W h a t w e s e e is t h e i m a g e o f a b o d y already c o v e r e d w i t h r e c o r d i n g d a t a .
12
12

b e l o n g e d to t h e a r c a n u m o f p o w e r , w i t h the n o t i o n o f secret s p a c e h e r e b e i n g related to e x c l u s i o n f r o m

10 See Cari Schmitt, Gesprch Pfullingen 1954.

public

inspection.
Nseke,

1 0

ber die Macht und den Zugang zum Machthaber,

Today's m e d i a m e m o r y creates

hybrid

f o r m s : H a n s - A c h i m Roll, t h e f o r m e r h e a d o f t h e central file p r o c e s s i n g d e p a r t m e n t i n t h e G e r m a n C h a n c e l l o r ' s Office, justified t h e s c a n d a l o u s d a t a - d e s t r u c t i o n at t h e e n d o f the Kohl era i n 1 9 9 8 by u s i n g the n e o l o g i s m o f t h e " P r i v a t d i e n s t l i c h e n " (the private-administrative), that is, files w h i c h s h o u l d b e h i d d e n f r o m t h e d u t y o f preservation and documentation, since they

convey the personal agencies o f public affairs. S u c h s u b t l e b o u n d a r i e s b e t w e e n t h e private a n d t h e p u b l i c literally d o n o t c o u n t i n digital, that is, c a l c u l a t i n g s p a c e a n y m o r e . W i t h t h e t e r r o r i s t attack i n W a s h i n g t o n a n d N e w Y o r k o n September n , 2 0 0 1 , w h a t h a s b e e n playfully u n d e r m i n e d b y t h e Big Brother T V event, suddenly

Peter KOmmel, Attas Weitsekuride. Geisterfanndung, Rasterbeschworung, in Die Zeit, no. 43, 18 October 2 0 0 1 .

W h e n b o d i e s m e r g e w i t h data, they b e c o m e invisible, a n d t h e k i n g ' s (video-)eye l o o k s for h i s s u b j e c t s i n v a i n . W h e n bodies

b e c o m e mathematically addressable, they e n t e r digital, n o n - v i s u a l s p a c e ( w h i c h is l e s s attractive f o r m u s e u m e x h i b i t i o n s ) . T h i s sub-visible s p a c e b o t h a n a c h r o n i s t i cally a n d m e d i a - a r c h a e o l o g i c a l l y c o i n c i d e s w i t h t h e invisibility o f a certain top terrorist d i s a p p e a r i n g i n t h e d a r k caves o f A f g h a nistan which, unlike " G r o u n d Zero" in M a n h a t t a n , c a n n o l o n g e r b e spotted b y i c o n i c satellite s u r v e i l l a n c e .

b e c o m e s serious again. This event has l e d to a r e n a i s s a n c e o f n e o - c o n s e r v a t i v e d r e a m s o f state c o n t r o l over any k i n d o f

Revised version. First published under the title "From Louis XIV to BigBrother," in documents. 19, Los Angeles 2 0 0 0 , topic: On Privacy, pp, 2 0 - 2 3 Sub-edited by Frazer Ward

c o m m u n i c a t i o n , b e it private, c o m m e r c i a l or p u b l i c . B u t t h e f o r m o f t h e r e l a t i o n between communication and control

h a s c h a n g e d . A c c o r d i n g to t h e n o t o r i o u s

463

Surveillance Center

464

07 C O N T R O L , S U R V E I L L A N C E , A N D EVERYDAY L I F E

This book investigates the state of panoptic art at a time when issues of security and civil liberties are on many people's minds. Traditional imaging and tracking systems have given way to infinitely more powerful dataveillance technologies, as an ever-evolving arsenal of surrogate eyes and ears in our society shifts its focus from military to domestic space. Taking as its point of departure an architectural drawing by Jeremy CTRL Bentham that became the model for an entire social regime, [SPACE] looks at the shifting between design and relationships

Peter Weibel, and Yoko Ono are among the artists whose panoptical preoccupations are featured here. This is the first state-of-the-art survey of the full range of panopticism in digital culture, architecture, video, painting,

photography, conceptual art, cinema, installation work, television, robotics, and satellite imaging. Thomas Y. Levin is a cultural theorist who teaches media theory, intellectual history, and philosophy at Princeton University. Ursula Frohne is Associate Professor at the International University in Bremen. Peter Weibel is Director of the ZKM in Karlsruhe. Contributors: Geoffrey Batchen, Jean Baudrillard, Victor Darnton, Gilles Burgin, Duncan Timothy Campbell, Beatriz Colomina, Robert Deleuze, Druckrey, Paul N. Edwards, Wolfgang Ernst, Harun Farocki, Michel Foucault, Ursula Frohne, Dan Graham, Tom Holert, Branden W. Joseph, Christian Katti, Thomas Keenan, Thomas Y. Levin, Steve Mann, Lev Manovich, Winfried Pauleit, Astrit Schmidt-Burkhardt, Paul Virilio, McKenzie Wark, Peter Weibel, Dorte Zbikowski, and Slavoij Zizek.

power, representation and subjectivity, imaging and oppression from the eighteenth to twenty-first centuries. From the photographs taken with hidden cameras by Walker Evans and Paul Strand in the early twentieth century to the appropriation of military satellite technology by Marko Peljhan a hundred years later, the works of a wide range of artists have explored the dynamics of watching and being watched. Andy Warhol, Bruce Nauman, Dan Graham, Rem Koolhaas, Michael Klier,Thomas Ruff, Pierre Huyghe, Sophie Calle, Julia Scher, Diller + Scofidio,

CTRL [SPACE] Rhetorics of Surveillance from Bentham to Big Brother, Levin, Frohne, and Weibel, editors