Sylvia Matas
front cover of book titled objects in a field black text on white background a black and white photo of a bridge black text on white background a black and white photo of a lobby black text on white background a black and white photo of stairs and trees from above black text on white background a black and white photo of the edge of a road and trees behing the guard rail black text on white background a black and white photo of a window with tree branches in front black text on white background a black and white photo of the edge of a bridge and river below black text on white background a black and white photo of a stairwell black text on white background a black and white photo of an intersection at night black text on white background a black and white photo of a fence from above black text on white background a black and white photo of trees along a body of water black text on white background a black and white photo of a spiderweb in front of a camera and road in the background black text on white background a black and white photo of headlights black text on white background a black and white photo of rain black text on white background a black and white photo lights and scratch marks black text on white background a black and white photo of drops of water obscuring the lens black text on white background a black and white photo horizontal scan lines and lights black text on white background a low res black and white photo with lights black text on white background a black and white photo of noise on screen black text on white background a black and white photo distorted video lines black text on white background a black and white photo distorted video lines
Objects in a Field

2024
7.5 x 6 in/ 40 pages
artist's book/ perfect bound
ISBN 978-1-9990028-2-4

I took the photographs in Objects in a Field remotely, using streaming cameras that I found online. The first half of the book has photographs of transitional spaces like stairwells, bridges, gates, and intersections. The texts describe people moving like ghosts through these spaces, unseen. The photographs in the second half of the book obscure the possibility to see the scene clearly. A spiderweb woven over a camera lens, rain, or video distortion conceal these spaces. The texts that described the presence and movement of people have been redacted, creating a double erasure. There are an estimated 1 billion surveillance cameras in the world. This book grew from a sense of unease with mass surveillance and the desire to be anonymous in a world where we are being watched.

For sale for $25+ shipping here.