a photograph of the distorted reflection of urban cityscape and park in a circular security camera lens taken by artist Jake Greenup
a photograph of the distorted reflection of a park in a circular security camera lens taken by artist Jake Greenup
a photograph of the distorted reflection of an urban area in a circular security camera lens taken by artist Jake Greenup
a photograph of the distorted reflection of an urban area and crosswalk in a circular security camera lens taken by artist Jake Greenup
a photograph of the distorted reflection of buildings in a circular security camera lens taken by artist Jake Greenup
a photograph of the distorted reflection of a security camera reflected in the lens of an adjacent security camera taken by artist Jake Greenup
a photograph of the distorted reflection of an urban area and intersection in a circular security camera lens taken by artist Jake Greenup
a photograph of the distorted reflection of an urban area and walkway in a circular security camera lens taken by artist Jake Greenup
a photograph of the distorted reflection of a street corner in a circular security camera lens taken by artist Jake Greenup
a photograph of the distorted reflection of a residential area and apartment buildings in a circular security camera lens taken by artist Jake Greenup
a photograph of a security attendant sitting at a desk awash in the light from an array of six monitors taken by artist Jake Greenup
a 3D rendering of photographic prints from watching you, watching me installed on a wall in a group exhibition by artist Jake Greenup
a close-up 3D rendering of photographic prints from watching you, watching me installed on a wall in a group exhibition by artist Jake Greenup

Watching You, Watching Me, 2022-ongoing

This project, entitled Watching You, Watching Me, considers the correlation between public surveillance systems and the act of observation. The objective of Watching You, Watching Me is to question the mystique of security cameras, by placing the public/viewer in a place of observation that counteracts the traditional dynamic of public surveillance as a privatized form of control. The project is intended to provoke questions related to surveillance and the act of observation, including “Where does observation take place?”, “What is observed?”, and “Who participates in observation?”; but does not intend to provide a conclusive resolution on the topics.

         Formally, Watching You, Watching Me involves two photographic elements. The first element of Watching You, Watching Me is comprised of photographs of publicly accessible security cameras, the lenses of which have been fixated within a circular form. The resulting images of security camera lenses are abstracted due to their shape, clarity, and inaccessibility. Within the security camera images there is a compression of three-dimensional space, resulting in the convergence of the external world (represented by reflections), the external surface of the security camera lenses, and the internal components of the security cameras. These security camera images are not intended to replicate what each security camera sees, but rather to provide ambiguous glimpses of reality, that allow the viewer to make their own interpretation of what security cameras observe.

         The second element of Watching You, Watching Me is a documentary-style photograph of a security control room, which presents an attendant awash in the light from an array of six monitors. The photograph of the security control room is included to provide an internal perspective of the observational dialog that Watching You, Watching Me engages with conceptually. As with the security camera images, the control room photograph is not intended to provide a literal representation of what public surveillance systems observe, but rather to provide the viewer with a liminal place to consider the relationship between public surveillance and observation.

  • Beginning in the late 1990s and into the early 2000s, as the spatial and financial cost of security cameras decreased, they became more prolific in public spaces across Canada.[1] By 2005, the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) had installed hundreds of security cameras throughout the Toronto transit system.[2] However, the number of police-controlled security cameras was much lower, with these being limited to areas of high foot traffic including Nathan Phillips Square and Yonge-Dundas Square.[3] With escalating fears of terrorism[4] and gun-related crime,[5] the Toronto police force, led by chief Julian Fantino, saw the implementation of additional publicly located security cameras as a way to “ensure […] greater public safety and security”.[6] In 2006, the government allocated two million dollars for a police pilot project focused on the installation of security cameras in “high-risk neighbourhoods” within Etobicoke and Scarborough.[7] Alongside the launch of the 2006 pilot project, security cameras were also temporarily installed on Yonge Street at the request of local community members.[8] On December 31, 2006, two weeks after their installation on Yonge Street, the temporary cameras captured a shooting involving an unidentified teen.[9] Subsequently, in 2007, another two million dollars[10] was allocated to fund the installation of temporary security cameras at Jane and Finch, in Malvern, and in the Entertainment District.[11] That same year, the TTC expanded its network of security cameras, increasing the average number of security cameras per subway station from 5.5 to 20,[12] resulting in a total of approximately 12,000 security cameras being located throughout the Toronto transit system.[13]

    Between 2006 and 2008, security camera pilot projects undertaken by the Toronto police assisted in the issuance of 48 criminal charges.[14] In 2009 following the pilot projects, 15 permanent police-controlled security cameras were installed in Toronto, with plans for the temporary installation of 11 additional cameras.[15] The following year, the number of police-controlled security cameras spiked when 77 new cameras were temporarily installed in anticipation of protests related to the 2010 G20 summit.[16] Despite the sudden rise, by 2015 the number of installed security cameras had returned to 15.[17] Towards the end of the decade, the number of police-controlled security cameras began to rise once again, reaching a total of 34 cameras by 2019.[18] Following communal requests, it was then announced that three million dollars would be spent on the installation of 40 new police-controlled security cameras between 2019 and 2022.[19] Mayoral spokesperson Lawvin Hadisi stated in 2020 that “residents of Toronto have continuously called on the mayor to install more [security] cameras to increase public safety and […] hold people accountable in areas that have seen increased violence.”[20] Although information pertaining to security cameras installed by government organizations is relatively accessible, the use of security cameras by private entities in publicly accessible spaces is much less transparent. The lack of information surrounding privately-controlled security cameras in Toronto is largely due to the unregulated use of security cameras by businesses and private households.[21]

    Today it is estimated that there are a total of 19,000 private and government-controlled security cameras in publicly accessible areas throughout Toronto, equating to approximately 3 security cameras per square kilometer.[22] As the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada notes, “[v]ideo surveillance of public places subjects everyone to scrutiny, regardless of whether they have done anything to arouse suspicion.”[23]

    [1] “Guidelines for the Use of Video Surveillance of Public Places by Police and Law Enforcement Authorities,” Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, accessed January 9, 2023, https://www.priv.gc.ca/en/privacy-topics/surveillance/police-and-public-safety/vs_060301/.

    [2] “We're caught on camera far less than Londoners; Need for video surveillance a hot issue Toronto balances security, privacy,” Toronto Star, accessed January 9, 2023, https://www.proquest.com/docview/438844946?parentSessionId=tkUe0H8N8n%2FpVYV5l%2BSNkiyoxYH5y8lRf3ZP4UHI7GM%3D&pq-origsite=summon&accountid=13631.

    [3] Ibid.

    [4] “Guidelines for the Use of Video Surveillance of Public Places by Police and Law Enforcement Authorities,” Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, accessed January 9, 2023, https://www.priv.gc.ca/en/privacy-topics/surveillance/police-and-public-safety/vs_060301/.

    [5] Ibid.

    [6] “We're caught on camera far less than Londoners; Need for video surveillance a hot issue Toronto balances security, privacy,” Toronto Star, accessed January 9, 2023, https://www.proquest.com/docview/438844946?parentSessionId=tkUe0H8N8n%2FpVYV5l%2BSNkiyoxYH5y8lRf3ZP4UHI7GM%3D&pq-origsite=summon&accountid=13631.

    [7] “Ontario to spend $2M to install cameras in Toronto's high-risk neighbourhoods,” National Post, accessed January 9, 2023, https://www-proquest-com.ezproxy.lib.torontomu.ca/docview/330562451?pq-origsite=summon.

    [8] “Security cameras a good idea,” The Ottawa Citizen, accessed January 9, 2023, https://www-proquest-com.ezproxy.lib.torontomu.ca/docview/241041090?pq-origsite=summon.

    [9] “Guidelines for the Use of Video Surveillance of Public Places by Police and Law Enforcement Authorities,” Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, accessed January 9, 2023, https://www.priv.gc.ca/en/privacy-topics/surveillance/police-and-public-safety/vs_060301/.

    [10] “Security cameras a good idea,” The Ottawa Citizen, accessed January 9, 2023, https://www-proquest-com.ezproxy.lib.torontomu.ca/docview/241041090?pq-origsite=summon.

    [11] “Murder suspect turns himself in to police; Xerox Centre killing; Relative spots man from security camera images,” National Post, accessed January 9, 2023, https://www-proquest-com.ezproxy.lib.torontomu.ca/docview/330542659?pq-origsite=summon.

    [12] “How many security cameras are there in downtown Toronto?,” TORONTO LIFE, accessed January 9, 2023, https://torontolife.com/food/urban-decoder-miscellaneous-26/.

    [13] Aaron Doyle, Randy Lippert, and David Lyon, Eyes Everywhere : The Global Growth of Camera Surveillance (New York: Routledge, 2012), Pg. 130.

    [14] “Three-year plan sought for security camera use,” Globe & Mail, accessed January 9, 2023, https://go-gale-com.ezproxy.lib.torontomu.ca/ps/i.do?p=CPI&u=rpu_main&id=GALE%7CA200287887&v=2.1&it=r&sid=summon.

    [15] “Toronto police plan to deploy security cameras in at-risk neighbourhoods,” The Canadian Press, accessed January 9, 2023, https://www-proquest-com.ezproxy.lib.torontomu.ca/docview/360058992?pq-origsite=summon.

    [16] “Police installing 77 closed-circuit cameras in Toronto's financial core,” The Globe and Mail, accessed January 9, 2023, https://www-proquest-com.ezproxy.lib.torontomu.ca/docview/1444890886?pq-origsite=summon.

    [17] “How many cameras are watching you? Toronto professor concerned about privacy,” CTV News, accessed January 9, 2023, https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/how-many-cameras-are-watching-you-toronto-professor-concerned-about-privacy-1.2255985.

    [18] “Toronto becoming a camera city but still pales in comparison to London, England,” Toronto Sun, accessed January 9, 2023, https://torontosun.com/news/local-news/toronto-becoming-a-camera-city-but-still-pales-in-comparison-to-london-england.

    [19] “How many cameras are watching you? Toronto professor concerned about privacy,” CTV News, accessed January 9, 2023, https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/how-many-cameras-are-watching-you-toronto-professor-concerned-about-privacy-1.2255985.

    [20] “Toronto becoming a camera city but still pales in comparison to London, England,” Toronto Sun, accessed January 9, 2023, https://torontosun.com/news/local-news/toronto-becoming-a-camera-city-but-still-pales-in-comparison-to-london-england.

    [21] Ibid.

    [22] “Surveillance camera statistics: which cities have the most CCTV cameras?,” Comparitech, accessed January 9, 2023, https://www.comparitech.com/vpn-privacy/the-worlds-most-surveilled-cities/.

    [23] “Guidelines for the Use of Video Surveillance of Public Places by Police and Law Enforcement Authorities,” Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, accessed January 9, 2023, https://www.priv.gc.ca/en/privacy-topics/surveillance/police-and-public-safety/vs_060301/.