Pandemic

Panopticons

Unveiling the Hidden Stories of Our Surveilled Lives

What tales and visions emerge when we examine our interactions with pandemic-era surveillance technologies? How have these tools shaped our experiences and our future?

Our Mission

Pandemic Panopticons is a groundbreaking, multi-disciplinary creative project that turns the lens on our complex relationship with public health surveillance technologies.

We're inviting an array of voices—from talented writers, visual artists, and multimedia creators to leading scholars and everyday citizens—to contribute to Pandemic Panopticons. Share your unique perspectives through compelling narratives, artworks, or analyses inspired by your experiences and imaginings around pandemic-era tracking tools. Whether you've created these technologies, researched their impacts, or lived with their presence, we want to hear from you!

The Technologies

Our creators engage with a range of surveillance technologies that have become ubiquitous during the COVID-19 pandemic, including:

  • QR code-based health status apps

  • GPS and Bluetooth-enabled contact tracing systems

  • Facial recognition and temperature scanning cameras

  • AI-powered movement tracking and prediction tools

  • Biometric data collection systems

  • Digital vaccination/immunity passports

The Creative Process

Creator Engagement

We’re reaching out to diverse creators who have lived through the pandemic and interacted with these surveillance technologies. 

Multi-Disciplinary Creation

We’re asking these skilled creators to produce a wide range of works, such as:

  • Short stories and poetry

  • Digital illustrations and paintings

  • Video art and animations

  • Interactive web experiences

  • Sound art and music compositions

  • Graphic novels and sequential art

We’re also fostering collaborations between creators and other key stakeholders, including technologists developing these tools, policymakers regulating them, researchers studying their impacts, and everyday citizens living with their presence.

Collective Reflection

As part of the final stage, we will be sharing these creations with the public, inviting viewers to not only contemplate the invisible threads that have connected us all during these unprecedented times, but also consider the long-term implications for privacy, freedom, and social control.

“Decoding the human narrative in the age of digital surveillance through art and story.”

ELISE RACINE Founder

Be a Part of Our Collection

Contribute to our collection of "surveillance stories"—each piece a unique window into the complex web of technology, privacy, and public health that has defined our recent history.

Pandemic Panopticons isn't just about artistic expression—it's about sparking crucial dialogue. How have these technologies changed us? What unseen ripples have they created in our communities? What does a future of expanded surveillance look like? 

Your unique perspectives are invaluable as we delve into the complex interplays between technology, health, and privacy. Whether you're an artist, writer, technologist, or concerned citizen, your voice matters in this conversation.

Ways to get involved…

  1. Submit your own creation inspired by your experiences with public health technologies

  2. Participate in our virtual roundtable discussions on the ethics of surveillance in crisis

  3. Explore our Inspiration Hub for creative prompts and concept starters

Through the power of multi-disciplinary art,

Pandemic Panopticons unveils the human stories hidden within the data streams of our surveillance society.

It's time to look beyond the algorithms and see the lives they shape.

*Image attributions in order of appearance: (1) Clarote & AI4Media / Better Images of AI / User/Chimera / CC-BY 4.0, (2) Anton Grabolle / Better Images of AI / AI Architecture / CC-BY 4.0, and (3) Clarote & AI4Media / Better Images of AI / Power/Profit / CC-BY 4.0.