Domestic Surveillance, Colorado Springs, CO April 2008

Domestic Surveillance, an installation by The Bridge Club, was created at IDEA Space as part of the '1440 Minutes: An Evening of Installation and Performance Art' event hosted jointly by Colorado College and the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.

Domestic Surveillance, an installation by The Bridge Club, examines the distinctions between virtual space and physical space, and investigates cyberspace as a relational forum where multiple spaces and times, both real and imagined, coexist.

The installation incorporates two physical spaces divided by a wall. On each side of the wall there is also a virtual space, linking the two physical spaces via a web link and a closed-circuit video feed displayed on computer and television monitors. The displayed footage at first appears to be in real time, but as it becomes apparent that neither of the monitors displays current activity, the idea of multiple realities or times merging into one experience becomes evident.
The viewer’s understanding of social connectivity shifts between the physical space of the gallery and the virtual activation of cyberspace, as neither the physical space nor cyberspace provides the opportunity to interact with its implied inhabitants. This confuses the viewer’s assumptions about who is watching whom and links the missing inhabitants of the two spaces in a complicated, voyeuristic relationship. The viewer is left to question his or her role in this series of spaces and relationships, and to wonder who is being manipulated, who maintains relational control, and which space-- virtual or physical-- offers the authentic social experience.