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New Big Brother London Underground Signs Stir Controversy
Some commuters disturbed by dystopic "artwork"
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Upon entering the London underground following a rare trip abroad
last week I was hit with a sudden reminder that I was entering
back into big brother control central when I encountered rows
and rows of advertising boards plastered with the same stark posters
reading "I THINK I'M BEING WATCHED".
Amidst the CBS all seeing eyes, the hordes of surveillance
cameras and the constant announcements to report anything suspicious,
another poster read "Oh boy, what a Wonderful City!".
The bold black lettering on a bright white background
instantly reminded me of the subliminal advertising billboards
in John Carpenter's classic dystopic movie, They Live.
Perhaps a more accurate phrase for the signs would
read "I KNOW I'm being watched".
It seems my concerns have not gone unnoticed by
other commuters on the underground who have posted pictures and
blogs on the new "artwork" describing it as "creepy"
"weird" and "a little disturbing".
(Article continues below)
The artwork was commissioned by the office of the
Mayor of London and Transport For London.
"Designed" by Anna Barriball, the typographic
artwork entitled 'About 60 miles of beautiful views.' consists
of a collection of evocative phrases which are apparently "taken
from the back of found photographs in a photo album".
TFL's
website describes the images:
"These cryptic texts are loaded with personal
memory, yet connect with individual reasons for travel and the
millions of private thoughts customers carry with them on their
journeys. The phrases are distinctly personal and strangely visual,
creating small windows into imagined vistas or glimpses into unidentified
personal worlds, open to interpretation in their new context."
Tamsin Dillon, Head of Art on the Underground,
says: "Anna's project is exciting because it offers customers
the chance to encounter artworks across the entire Tube network.
We hope that these encounters result in pleasantly unexpected
asides to daily journeys".
Ah yes, TFL says we should relish the chance to be constantly
reminded that we are under total surveillance at all times. It
is clear, however, that many commuters have found the new signs
to be neither "pleasant" nor "unexpected".
Britain is acknowledged as the world leader of Orwellian surveillance.
An estimated 4.2 million closed-circuit TV cameras observe people
going about their everyday business, from getting on a bus to
lining up at the bank to driving around London. It's widely estimated
that the average Briton is scrutinized by 300 cameras a day and
that there is one camera for every 14 people in the country.
There can be little doubt that TFL and the Mayor's office have
seen the advantage of packaging what is essentially a security
announcement within commissioned artwork. This is not the first
time London authorities have used big brother style artwork to
remind commuters they are under surveillance.
Around five years ago the transport authority plastered posters
all over bus terminals that read 'secure under the watchful eyes'
as an Orwellian promo for its surveillance cameras.
Two years ago, the London Neighborhood Watch Association followed
suit with a poster headlined "Watching over you 24/7"
featuring giant eyes set into the landscape of the Houses of Parliament
in London, and promising unique benefits with membership.
Since when was the entirety of London a "neighborhood"?
This is a city with a population of nine million people - do we
all need to spy on each other and be constantly watched by cctv
cameras in order to be safe and secure?
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