Behind The Wall

"Surveillance, in all forms, is
now part of our everyday life. We are watched as much as we watch others.
Social media, photography, and technology have broken down the old paradigm of
government versus the people. In contemporary society these new types of covert
observation have become routine and normal. They have broad implications for
our lives in a democracy or at least our perceptions of it, something that this
installation aimed to explore."

"The Surveillance Project was both an exhibition and a
public art installation. The exhibition featured the Wende Museum’s collection
of surveillance equipment. The accompanying public art installation consisted
of inviting contemporary artists from Berlin, the U.K. and LA to paint the back
of the museum’s 10 original Berlin Wall segments installed on Wilshire Blvd
opposite LACMA to help conserve the Wall pieces and address the subject of
surveillance in our lives."

"The murals by Los Angeles-based
artist Retna, U.K.-based artist D*Face, and Berlin-based artist duo Herakut
(Falk Lehmann and Jasmin Siqquidi) cover nine segments belonging to the ‘east
side’ of the original Berlin Wall – the side that faced the East German death
strip and was never painted. In keeping with the Wall’s original function as an
organic, ever-changing site for art happenings, these artists offer a
commentary on the eroding space of the private individual operating in a public
place that uses technology as an agent of social control."