video | the Argus Project: exo-suit for the new urban reality
January 1, 2010
EXHIBIT | CONCEPT: activist technology for the citizen body
Interactive body armor for everyday citizens.
video | https://vimeo.com/185745057
https://www.tribecafilm.com/filmguide/archive/argus-project-2016
http://theargusproject.squarespace.com/
http://theargusproject.squarespace.com/homepage
http://theargusproject.squarespace.com/details-1/
showcased at https://www.tribecafilm.com/festival/storyscapes
https://twitter.com/TheArgusProject/media — SKETCHES CUTE
https://www.facebook.com/pg/argusproject
http://remezcla.com/features/culture/raquel-de-anda-artist-argus-project-2016-tribeca-film-festival/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkdW8XdWwtE ARS TECHNICA on VR exhibits
https://twitter.com/TheArgusProject/media
The Argus Project from Gan Golan and Ron Morrison of NEW INC is a wearable sculpture, video installation and counter-surveillance training, which directly intersects the public debate over police accountability. According to ancient Greek myth, Argus Panoptes was a giant with 100 eyes who served as an eternal watchman, both for – and against – the gods.
By embedding an array of camera “eyes” into a full body suit of tactical armor, the Argus exo-suit creates a “force field of accountability” around the bodies of those targeted. While some see filming the police as a confrontational or subversive act, it is in fact, a deeply democratic one. The act of bearing witness to the actions of the state – and showing them to the world – strengthens our society and institutions. The Argus Project is not so much about an individual hero, but the Citizen Body as a whole. In between one of the music acts, a presentation about the project will be part of the Protest Stage.
The Argus Project
Project Creators: Gan Golan, Raquel de Anda, Julien Terrell, Ligaiya Romero
The Argus Project is a trans-media project that directly intersects the public debate over police accountability. At the center stands a suit of tactical counter-surveillance armor embedded with body cameras that offers a simple question: “If the police wear body armor to protect themselves while in public, what must “The Public” wear to protect themselves from the police?” Video projections surround the suit featuring former officers, activists, and family members directly impacted by police violence, creating a space for a real conversation on police violence – one that our country desperately needs.
supported by
“A wearable exo-suit with dozens of surveillance cameras embedded to act as a citizens’ version of the police body camera is The Argus Project’s response to police brutality in the USA. The project poses the question – what happens when the watched becomes the watcher? Lauren Hutchinson reports from New York on the project designed to empower citizens to exercise their right to bear witness.”
VICE: The Creators Project “Futuristic Body Armor for Police Violence Activists”
“Since the Snowden revelations, most people have fixated on protecting personal data and privacy. But as people living in poor neighborhoods or communities of color can attest, surveillance isn’t just about one’s digital self, it’s about one’s body. The second someone in their neighborhoods steps out the front door, their movements are being watched, and even physically controlled.”