Subject to Scrutiny

Subject to Scrutiny, by Montreal-based artist Michael A. Robinson, is an installation sculpture constructed of over 100 cameras on tripods. The composition is such that the cameras are set to capture every angle and space within the gallery. The tripods stick outward to create a large spherical structure that takes on a life of its own. As the visitor moves around the installation, the cameras activate, causing a flurry of flashes and sounds of camera shutters that overwhelm the small space. The installation provokes an intensified or magnified sense of what it feels to be under the scrutiny of the surveillant gaze; the sounds, lights, and activity creating a sensory overload and affective response in the body of visitors. This project was included as part of Robinson’s larger installation series, entitled Black Period, which was included in Montreal’s Contemporary Arts Festival “Art Souterrain” in 2015.