Scream, 1999

Single channel video, 7 minute continuous loop. Installation dimensions variable. Exhibited at the Market Theatre Galleries, Johannesburg.

In an incisive exploration of urban apathy and the illusion of security, this project employs concealed surveillance cameras to capture a typical street scene in the northern suburbs of Johannesburg, an area characterized by its high perimeter walls ostensibly built for 'security.' Over an hour, the camera unobtrusively films the area while distressing screams are played. Remarkably, despite the alarming auditory stimuli, neither pedestrians nor passing vehicles engage with the source of the sound. No inquiries are made; neither security companies nor law enforcement agencies respond to the simulated crisis.

This video serves as both a performance and documentation, probing deeply into issues of subjectivity, violence, and societal indifference. The work raises unsettling questions, most notably the distressing realization that the fear of exposure in such a surveilled environment inhibits individuals from assisting others, even in extreme violence cases. The video thus exposes the paradox of a society that is simultaneously over-secured and insecure, revealing an inadequate utopia characterized by a pervasive sense of vulnerability.

Furthermore, the project engages with the historical and socio-political context of its setting. The architectural structure of these suburbs is not merely a contemporary phenomenon. Still, it is historically referential, echoing the segregationist boundaries that defined urban environments in South Africa during the Apartheid era. These landscapes are emotionally charged, often associated with white middle-class affluence and an illusory sense of safety. Therefore, the project critiques the present-day conditions and interrogates the historical and systemic factors that have contributed to such conditions.

This video installation offers a multi-layered critique of the complexities surrounding urban security, societal apathy, and the historical legacies that continue to shape contemporary South African landscapes in the 2000s. By employing surveillance as both a medium and a subject of inquiry, the work challenges viewers to confront the uncomfortable realities and ethical dilemmas that characterize life in these ostensibly secure yet fundamentally insecure environments.