Aug 14, 2009 0
Google street view : the unadorned truth about us
I imagine a Star Trek episode. The explorers have landed on a barren planet and deep in some bunker is an access point to a database left by a lost civilization. The away-team hits a button in error and a series of images are projected on a huge screen. The images are both exciting and disturbing; they are detached from events. They are a capture of moments past. A street photo of an apartment building, a restaurant, a grocery. The images are from many geographic areas and cultures.
This isn’t science-fiction this is Google, today.
Chances are that you’ve also seen some of these images when you have used google maps. Street View is an enhancement to the service. You can look at the landmark surroundings; make sure you are going to the right place; find out what the neighborhood is like. The camera captures these images without any other intention than a street view. But when one takes the time to look at more than just a couple of these images we can see the unadorned truth about us.
2588 N Hutchinson St. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
10 IJsselmeerdijk, Zeevang, Netherlands
These thoughts came to mind after readying a very interesting piece in Art Fag City written by artist Jon Rafman who lives and works in Montreal Canada. He raises some interesting questions about the cultural texts of the images one can find in this vast ever-expanding library.
I encourage you to give it a read and I would enjoy your comments.
Art Fag City : IMG MGMT : The Nine Eyes of Google Street View.
