Backdoored.io

About

Backdoor, noun. [Hacker slang] A feature or defect of a computer system or device that allows surreptitious unauthorised access to data.

Artist and Cass MA Fine Art alumna Nye Thompson uses search engines to unearth images captured by unsecured surveillance cameras. Deploying algorithms to robotically archive these images, Thompson exposes our vulnerability in cyberspace.

This summer, for the first time on public display, Nye Thompson will be bringing a specially curated collection of images from the archive to the Bank Gallery. The images in this exhibition are drawn from unsecured surveillance cameras from a small residential community in Hong Kong, many of whom have mass-installed these surveillance cameras; unwittingly opening a backdoor into some of their most private spaces.

This audacious exhibition, at once erasing whatever lines there may have been between public and private domains, acts as a stark warning about our continued indulgence into virtual realms. It is an investigation into our relationship with technology; a reassessment of our trust in big data, digital culture and our emergence into a landscape that is co-shared with robots, artificial intelligence, governments and larger-than-government corporations all feeding on your personal data. It brings to question our sense of authorship in an age of automation and puts you face-to-face with your inner voyeur.

Backdoored recently featured in the Guardian when the project was part of the Internet Yami-Ichi event at Tate Modern from 20-22 May 2016. 

The exhibition will be curated by Kosha Hussain. Software integration by Colm Ginty.