WeiweiCam
{{Short description|Artistic project by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei}}
WeiweiCam is a self-surveillance project by artist Ai Weiwei, in China, that went live on April 3, 2012, exactly one year after the artist's detention by Chinese officials at Beijing Airport.{{Cite news|url=http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/03/ai-weiwei-takes-his-surveillance-worldwide/|author=Carol Vogel|title=Ai Weiwei Takes His Surveillance Worldwide|work=The New York Times |date=April 3, 2012|accessdate=April 19, 2012 }} At least fifteen surveillance cameras monitor his house in Beijing{{cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/blogs/analects/2012/04/house-arrest-china|title=Orwell, Kafka and Ai Weiwei|date=April 13, 2012|accessdate=June 3, 2012|newspaper=The Economist}} which, according to Ai, makes it the most-watched spot of the city.{{cite news|author=Branigan, Tania|url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2012/apr/03/ai-weiwei-webcams-supporters-security-services?newsfeed=true|title=Ai Weiwei installs studio webcams for supporters and security services|work=The Guardian|location=UK|date=3 April 2012|accessdate=19 April 2012}}
Description
He described his decision to put himself under further surveillance as a symbolic way to increase transparency in the Chinese government.{{cite web|url=http://stream.aljazeera.com/story/ai-weiweis-weiweicam-0022152|title=Ai Weiwei's #WeiweiCam|work=Al Jazeera|accessdate=3 June 2012}} WeiweiCam consisted of four webcams that sent a live 24-hour feed publicly viewable from the website weiweicam.com.{{Cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ai-weiwei-makes-statement-on-govt-voyeurism/|title=Ai Weiwei makes statement on gov't voyeurism|work=CBSNews|location=US |date=3 April 2012|access-date=19 April 2012}} 46 hours after the site went live Ai Weiwei was instructed to shut down WeiweiCam by Chinese authorities.{{Cite news|url=http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2012/04/ais-weiweicam-forced-offline-after-46-hours/|title=Ai's Weiweicam Forced Offline After 46 Hours|work=China Digital Times|location=CN |date=4 April 2012|accessdate=19 April 2012 }}{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-17612693|title=Ai Weiwei 'ordered to turn cameras off'|work=BBC|location=UK |date=4 April 2012|accessdate=19 April 2012 }}
Reception and legacy
During the time weiweicam.com was live it received 5.2 million views.{{Cite news|author1=Smith, Marian |author2=Baculinao, Eric |url=http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/04/05/11035452-after-5-million-views-in-2-days-china-orders-ai-weiwei-to-turn-off-webcams|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406212016/http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/04/05/11035452-after-5-million-views-in-2-days-china-orders-ai-weiwei-to-turn-off-webcams|url-status=dead|archive-date=6 April 2012|title=After 5 million views in 2 days, China orders Ai Weiwei to turn off webcams|work=MSNBC|location=US |date=5 April 2012|accessdate=19 April 2012 }}
WeiweiCam was included in "What We Watch", an exhibition on net art and surveillance, at COFAspace Gallery, UNSW College of Fine Arts.[http://www.cofa.unsw.edu.au/events/archive/676 What We Watch: Net Art and Surveillance][https://whatwewatch2012.wordpress.com/ What We Watch Exhibition]
Until June 30, 2013, WeiweiCam was seen at the [http://www.kunstpalais.de/de/13/FREIHEIT.html Kunstpalais Erlangen], Germany. In the context of the exhibition "Freedom!" the visitors can contact the artist directly via Twitter.
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://weiweicam.com/ "WeiweiCam Projections"]
- [https://www.flickr.com/photos/42618697@N03/6940269332 WeiweiCam painting]
{{Ai Weiwei}}