“Brasília Surveillance Camera Images: Dissenting Narratives of Art, Architecture, and Digital Culture” presented by Beiguelman, Costa and Magalhães
Symposium:
Session Title:
- Mixed (panels)
Presentation Title:
- Brasília Surveillance Camera Images: Dissenting Narratives of Art, Architecture, and Digital Culture
Presentation Subtheme:
- Fourth Summit on New Media Art Archiving
Presenter(s):
Venue(s):
Abstract:
The Digital Collections and Research project, funded by Fapesp, aims to develop AI-based methodologies and a theoretical framework for museum collections and digital docu-ments. Our initial focus is analyzing images captured by 33 security cameras, documenting the events of January 8, 2023, during a coup d’état orchestrated by the Brazilian far-right. These images serve as crucial artifacts in our exploration of digital archives. Beyond their role in ongoing judicial pro-ceedings, this extensive collection highlights the impact of social documentation in the contemporary memory culture. These images, typically crafted for short-term deletion and restricted access, offer insights into alternative narratives surrounding political events. Furthermore, they spark creative explorations across art, architecture, and design domains, challenging traditional boundaries of expression and institutional sites. Delving into this collection prompts reflection on the aesthetics of memory and media art, urging a reevaluation of how distributed digital archives shape our understanding of historical events. Specific methodologies employing AI to manage vast amounts of video data have been developed, a promising utility for future researchers and artists. Our analy-sis spans various facets of the images, exploring their social documentation profile, the transition from recording to archive, their views of architectural and design heritage sites, and their status as native-digital archives. Through these cam-eras, we delve into the unique views of Brasília, a UN World Heritage Site, exploring the surveillance images’ role in docu-menting modernist art, architecture, and design. Our study extends to the aesthetics of surveillance, exploring the media archaeology revealed by the array of surveillance cameras used. Previously disposable images, as security cameras usually are, now offer new political and aesthetic dimensions. Reflecting on disposable images as potential residual archives presents challenges and opportunities, reshaping our under-standing of native digital documentation. Leveraging AI and speculative design methodologies opens new avenues for interpretation and analysis, contributing to constructing more complex and meaningful narratives. Our project underscores the importance of these non-human images captured by surveillance cameras in reconstructing dissenting narratives of art, architecture, and digital culture in historical events, presenting fertile ground for interdisciplinary innovation and future research.
