Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive #10, New York City, USA, 2002. Courtesy of the authors.
For more than 13 years I have been tracing the spheres of public webcams: cameras installed in public or private spaces that automatically record images and spread them via the Internet.
I research where they are located, travel there, and get myself photographed. I was in New York and Moscow, in Las Vegas, London, and Novosibirsk. I went to more than 600 webcams in 17 countries. So far.
In New York, I was taken into police custody after standing around in front of a traffic webcam, later to be interrogated by the FBI.
Once I arrive at a webcam location, I place myself in front of the camera. As The Traveller, I stare back into the camera. Same clothes, same pose, every time. A bright shirt and a shoulder bag. You can recognize me in every image. You can watch me.
I contact a photographer to take my picture with a screenshot to preserve the transmitted data.
A lot of questions arise. Who sets up these automated cameras, and why? What do they show? Are people aware of them? Who needs these images? Who looks at them? Does the presence of a camera alter a site? What constitutes a photographic image in terms of authorship or quality?
The Traveller project examines borders of private and public grounds, global spread of imagery between irrelevance, information and surveillance, and the aesthetics involved.
Among many other places, The Traveller encountered the legendary coffee machine the world’s first webcam was pointed at, the European Space Agency (ESA) main control room, a huge cactus observed by four cameras, numerous street corners and backyards, and the inside of a New York police station—arrested for strange behavior.
Centre Equestre Les Arnelles, Saintes Maries de la Mer, France, 2012. Courtesy of the authors.
Boardwalk, Belmar NJ, USA, 2002. Courtesy of the authors.
Front Door, Dortmund, Germany, 2007. Courtesy of the authors.
Fondation Beyeler, Basel, Switzerland, 2004. Courtesy of the authors.
Frenckell Square, Tampere, Finland, 2005. Courtesy of the authors.
European Space Operations Centre, Darmstadt, Germany, 2006. Courtesy of the authors.
Garden Door, Eggersdorf, Germany, 2006. Courtesy of the authors.
Haus des Meeres, Vienna, Austria, 2012. Courtesy of the authors.
Vaduz, Liechtenstein, 2003. Courtesy of the authors.
Golfpark, Otelfingen, Switzerland, 2003. Courtesy of the authors.
The Quay, Poole, England, 2004. Courtesy of the authors.
Aubagne, France, 2003. Courtesy of the authors.
Brückenkopfgebäude Ost, Linz, Austria, 2009. Courtesy of the authors.
Bundesstrasse 1, Bochum, Germany, 2004. Courtesy of the authors.
Black Bear, Hannover, Germany, 2011. Courtesy of the authors.
Zeughaus, Berlin, Germany, 2003. Courtesy of the authors.
Weil am Rhein, Germany, 2004. Courtesy of the authors.
Altstadt, Meersburg, Germany, 2011. Courtesy of the authors.
Abbey Road, London, England, 2007. Courtesy of the authors.
Ul. Człuchowska, Poznań, Poland, 2006. Courtesy of the authors.
Waiting for Morrissey, Düsseldorf, Germany, 2006. Courtesy of the authors.
Stadsgårdsleden, Stockholm, Sweden, 2008. Courtesy of the authors.
Roof Parking Deck, Werne, Germany, 2004. Courtesy of the authors.
Ronda Litoral, Barcelona, Spain, 2013. Courtesy of the authors.
Reichenau Island, Germany, 2010. Courtesy of the authors.
RAI Congrescentrum Amsterdam, Netherlands, 2014. Courtesy of the authors.
Chemistry and physics faculty, TU Dortmund University, Germany, 2013. Courtesy of the authors.
Harbour, Juist Island, Germany, 2007. Courtesy of the authors.
Norddeich Mole, Norden, Germany, 2014. Courtesy of the authors.
Lenin Square, Novosibirsk, Russia, 2013. Courtesy of the authors.
Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia, 2012. Courtesy of the authors.
Main Street, Concord NH, USA, 2002. Courtesy of the authors.
Market Square, Düsseldorf, Germany, 2011. Courtesy of the authors.
Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Buzzards Bay, USA, 2002. Courtesy of the authors.
Matteusskolan, Stockholm, Sweden, 2008. Courtesy of the authors.
Glorieta de Quevedo, Madrid, Spain, 2007. Courtesy of the authors.
Christ's Resurrection Church, Kaunas, Lithuania, 2010. Courtesy of the authors.
Düsseldorf Airport, Germany, 2002. Courtesy of the authors.
Friedrich Ebert Strasse, Bottrop, Germany, 2013. Courtesy of the authors.
Deutsches Museum, Munich, Germany, 2005. Courtesy of the authors.
Gooch's Beach, Kennebunk ME, USA, 2002. Courtesy of the authors.
Sechseläutenplatz, Zurich, Switzerland, 2003. Courtesy of the authors.