The photographer who hacked the world’s CCTV cameras

You are being watched — After learning how to access surveillance cameras from the comfort of his own studio, Marcus DeSieno embarked on a project that questions our relationship with the natural landscape in a world where someone’s always watching.

In 2013, Marcus DeSieno found himself hiking through one of America’s vast and beautiful national parks.

Despite the fact he was alone in the wilderness, the Washington-based photographer had surveillance on the brain. At that time, the Edward Snowden leaks had just rocked the world, divulging the all-seeing, all-hearing extent of the NSA’s capabilities in grim, disturbing detail.

So, during the walk, when he stumbled upon a handful of park rangers nailing a CCTV camera to a tree in order to deter potential trespassers, it probably felt like an eerie coincidence. However, as he overheard one of the rangers grumbling about its uselessness in the dark, DeSieno realised that the camera’s power didn’t lie in its functionality, but its status as a sign of power in modern surveillance culture.

26.142350, -81.693869 33.509720, 126.521940“The surveillance camera is the signifier of dominance and power over us,” he explains. “When we see a surveillance camera outside of a building, it is a sign that somebody is watching. Or, it is a sign someone could be watching. It demands an authority.”

It was this realisation that led to the inception of No Man’s Land, a photography project that sees DeSieno exploring the far-reaching implications of living in a society where surveillance is ubiquitous – as well as adopting the role of ‘the watcher’ himself.

30.003540, -91.818730 46.979000, -103.538700After completing an online crash-course in hacking, he was able to “roam the world” from his studio through surveillance cameras, public webcams and CCTV feeds, using them to search for images he could use in his work. (“I had no previous [hacking] experience, but I can tell you it was shockingly easy. And it was certainly terrifying to find out that this was so easy.”)

Rather than focusing on urban, densely-populated spaces one usually associates with the theme, DeSieno instead switched his gaze towards the kind of isolated environment that first galvanised his interest in exploring surveillance within his work.

52.143200, -4.394850 62.009730, -6.771640By using natural, idyllic landscapes (which he captured with a computer screenshot, then photographing using a wooden, large format camera and a salt paper negative process), No Man’s Land questions the relationship between humans and their land, all while showcasing the unwavering reach of surveillance technology and the simplicity with which it can be utilised.

“I have been asking myself lately what my social responsibility is as an artist,” he adds. “It is not a question I’ve figured out, but perhaps the desire to create this project came from these moral and ethical battles inside of me.”

“This work falls into an indeterminate and contested territory where the results of how this technology has shaped us remains nebulous and unclear. We are currently, as a civilisation, already standing in the middle of this No Man’s Land.”

59.332580, 18.064900

47.710900, -124.415400No Man’s Land: Views From a Surveillance State is available now from Daylight Books.

Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.


Ad

Latest on Huck

Red shop frontage with "Open Out" branding and appointment-only signage.
Activism

Meet the trans-led hairdressers providing London with gender-affirming trims

Open Out — Since being founded in 2011, the Hoxton salon has become a crucial space the city’s LGBTQ+ community. Hannah Bentley caught up with co-founder Greygory Vass to hear about its growth, breaking down barbering binaries, and the recent Supreme Court ruling.

Written by: Hannah Bentley

Cyclists racing past Palestinian flag, yellow barriers, and spectators.
Sport

Gazan amputees secure Para-Cycling World Championships qualification

Gaza Sunbirds — Alaa al-Dali and Mohamed Asfour earned Palestine’s first-ever top-20 finish at the Para-Cycling World Cup in Belgium over the weekend.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Crowded festival site with tents, stalls and an illuminated red double-decker bus. Groups of people, including children, milling about on the muddy ground.
© Alan Tash Lodge
Music

New documentary revisits the radical history of UK free rave culture

Free Party: A Folk History — Directed by Aaron Trinder, it features first-hand stories from key crews including DiY, Spiral Tribe, Bedlam and Circus Warp, with public streaming available from May 30.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Weathered wooden building with a tall spire, person on horseback in foreground.
Culture

Rahim Fortune’s dreamlike vision of the Black American South

Reflections — In the Texas native’s debut solo show, he weaves familial history and documentary photography to challenge the region’s visual tropes.

Written by: Miss Rosen

A collage depicting a giant flup for mankind, with an image of the Earth surrounded by planets and people in sci-fi costumes.
Culture

Why Katy Perry’s space flight was one giant flop for mankind

Galactic girlbossing — In a widely-panned, 11-minute trip to the edge of the earth’s atmosphere, the ‘Women’s World’ singer joined an all-female space crew in an expensive vanity advert for Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. Newsletter columnist Emma Garland explains its apocalypse indicating signs.

Written by: Emma Garland

Three orange book covers with the title "Foreign Fruit" against a dark background.
Culture

Katie Goh: “I want people to engage with the politics of oranges”

Foreign Fruit — In her new book, the Edinburgh-based writer traces her personal history through the citrus fruit’s global spread, from a village in China to Californian groves. Angela Hui caught up with her to find out more.

Written by: Katie Goh

Huck is supported by our readers, subscribers and Club Huck members. It is also made possible by sponsorship from:

Signup to our newsletter

Sign up to our newsletter to informed with the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture, featuring personal takes on the state of media and pop culture from Emma Garland, former Digital Editor of Huck, exclusive interviews, recommendations and more.

Please wait...

Accessibility Settings

Text

Applies the Open Dyslexic font, designed to improve readability for individuals with dyslexia.

Applies a more readable font throughout the website, improving readability.

Underlines links throughout the website, making them easier to distinguish.

Adjusts the font size for improved readability.

Visuals

Reduces animations and disables autoplaying videos across the website, reducing distractions and improving focus.

Reduces the colour saturation throughout the website to create a more soothing visual experience.

Increases the contrast of elements on the website, making text and interface elements easier to distinguish.