Surveillance Camera Players tour England
NOT BORED!
notbored at panix.com
Mon Jun 25 12:22:17 PDT 2001
http://www.notbored.org/8june01.html
The Surveillance Camera Players tour England
Between 8 and 18 June 2001, the Surveillance Camera Players (SCP)
embarked upon an extended tour of England. Unlike Holland, which the
SCP briefly visited in February 2000, England is filled with
surveillance cameras. According to current estimates, there are over
1.5 million cameras (one for every 50 people) in operation. And there
are plans to install even more, not just in London, but all over the
country! Especially surveillance cameras that monitor automobile
traffic (so-called "red light" cameras), which were being installed
in every city the SCP visited: British politicians and police
departments are absolutely crazy about them. Check out this recent
photograph of the surveillance control room in the London borough of
Newham to get an idea of what's going on.
It's easy to see why this is happening. In addition to creating jobs
and raising revenues, England's vast surveillance apparatus is very
useful as a tool of politically motivated social control. For
example: during the SCP's stay (on Monday 18 June 2001), the Evening
Standard reported that the police had released pictures of six people
"wanted in connection with serious offenses committed during the May
Day riots." These very clear pictures of people's faces were
"extracted from hundreds of hours of CCTV [closed-circuit television]
and Metropolitan Police footage taken on the day." The paper went on
to report that "police collected CCTV films from scores of shops and
businesses located in and around Oxford Street and Tottenham Court
Road, which were key meeting areas [note: not the locations where the
serious offenses were allegedly committed] for the anti-capitalist
protests."
Arranged by e-mail in the months preceding the group's departure, the
SCP's tour of England stopped in Bath, Bristol, Manchester and
London. The group came prepared to perform five different plays: It's
OK, Officer, which is designed to be performed by a mobile group of 3
to 7 people; We know you are watching: MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!, which
can performed by 1 or 2 people who either remain stationary or travel
around; God's Eyes Here on Earth, which is designed to be performed
at churches or cathedrals only and by a group of 3 or more people;
and two adaptations -- George Orwell's Animal Farm and Edgar Allan
Poe's The Mask of the Red Death -- that require costumes, pre-planned
movements and adequate time for rehearsal. Both Animal Farm and The
Mask of the Red Death had been updated for the occasion. To comment
upon the slaughter of over 6 million British animals, supposedly done
in order to combat the spread of hoof-and-mouth and "mad cow
disease," Animal Farm had been given a brand-new board. On it, a
"cash cow," which is being strangled by a man wearing a tag that says
"Agri-business," calls out, "Now I'm really mad!" And The Mask of the
Red Death had been altered so that its reference to face recognition
software wasn't limited to a specific company that manufacturers it.
Unfortunately, neither the Orwell nor the Poe were performed in
England. There was never time to bring together and rehearse with a
sufficient number of players. Due to the high cost of traveling to
England in the summer, the only members of the New York SCP who were
able to go were Susan, Miranda and Bill. (In London, the group was
augmented by Kimberly, who's now living in England.) Both adaptations
require at least five performers to work.
Bath is a very beautiful Roman town that has become a godawful
tourist trap. During the afternoon of Saturday, 9 June 2001 -- that
is to say, in the midst of "The Bath Fringe Festival" -- the SCP
performed two plays: It's OK, Officer, which was presented to the
three police surveillance cameras that are installed along Walcot
Street, and God's Eyes Here on Earth, which was presented to the
police surveillance camera installed in the courtyard at the front of
Abbey Church. Both performances were videotaped for Network of the
World by Roddy Mansfield, who also taped an extended interview
segment with the group. Roddy also informed the SCP about a device
called Cypher, which is a small, remote-controlled, unmanned flying
saucer. Designed to fly into hostile territories and engage in video
surveillance, Cypher can also be used to deliver up to 50 kilograms
of tear-gas and other "non-lethal" weapons.
During the first set of performances, the SCP were treated to a
spectacle that they'd only seen once in their native country, namely,
the weird sight of a surveillance camera catching sight of, turning
to watch and, no doubt, zooming in on and videotaping one of their
performances. This happened at both the first and the second
surveillance cameras that the SCP visited as the group slowly made
its way down Walcot Street. But, by the time the SCP reached the
third and final surveillance camera, the officer assigned to watch
the monitors had seen enough, and didn't want to see any more. And
so, every time the SCP tried to position itself so that its
performance could be seen by the surveillance camera, the officer
turned the camera away and pointed it at something else! Absolutely
delighted at the demonstrable results of their efforts, the SCP
played "cat and mouse" with the officer for a little while, and then
went off to prepare for their second performance of the day.
Something of an anti-climax, the SCP's performance of God's Eyes Here
on Earth at the Abbey Church went well but didn't produce a strong
reaction, at least when compared with the reactions the SCP get when
they perform the play in front of St. Patrick's Cathedral in New
York. A security guard came out of the church to see what has going
on, and he used his walkie-talkie to speak to someone, but nothing
came of it. A lot of tourists from Japan, Germany and America took
photographs and shot video of the performance. Except for four
grey-haired Germans, who laughed out loud, slapped their thighs and
gave the thumbs-up sign of approval, most of the tourists looked at
and/or photographed the SCP's performance out of a sense of
obligation, not because they were provoked or stimulated by the sight
of a group of people, taking turns to get down on their knees and
pray to a surveillance camera as if it were a sacred object or God.
During the evening of Saturday, 9 June 2001, the SCP traveled from
Bath to the nearby city of Bristol. With the help of Ian and Ben, the
SCP ate a nice dinner and found its way to The Cube, an alternative
film theater run entirely by volunteers. Sitting in the audience, the
members of the SCP saw several superb video documentaries, including
The Battle of the Beanfield and a few others that concerned violent
police repression of efforts to hold Druid celebrations at Stonehedge
during the Summer Solstice. After the main programme was over, the
SCP showed one of its videotapes (the group's performance of Orwell's
1984), gave an informal talk that was ever-so-slightly affected in an
adverse fashion by jet-lag and excessive alcohol consumption, and
gamely tried to answer questions from the audience. Fortunately,
those in attendance -- among them such worthies as Tony and Hogge and
Heath -- were a tolerant lot, and so the evening passed very
pleasantly indeed.
The SCP were back in Bath for the afternoon of Sunday, 10 June 2001.
In the midst of "National Walcot Day," the group once again performed
It's OK, Officer directly in front of the three surveillance cameras
that are installed along Walcot Street. Videotaped by Ben of
I-Contact News, this series of performances was very well received by
both the spectators and the other performers. A father of a
six-year-old boy complained that more surveillance cameras in Bath
meant more difficulty in getting his son to school without being
spied upon. One of the MCs who was rapping along with heavy beats
incorporated several of the SCP's slogans into his toast.
On Monday, 11 June 2001, the SCP traveled up to Manchester. At 9 pm
on Monday evening, the SCP gave a lengthy presentation at The
Okasional Cafe, a squatted social center at 62 Charles Street. Very
well received by the audience, the presentation included a detailed
history of the group, a screening of the group's performance of
Orwell's 1984, and an exploration of the various levels at which a
typical SCP performance operates (as a denunication of surveillance;
as a statement in favor of privacy; as a reclamation of public space;
as an anarchist critique of politics; as a situationist critique of
performance art; as a combination of politics and art; as a parody of
confessing one's sins to a priest; and as forms of social
experimentation and personal growth). To commemorate the European
Parliament's recently released report on Echelon, the SCP also gave a
spirited reading of the rather lengthy list of American military
entities that surveill the group's web site. At the end of the
presentation, the SCP announced that they were available to both
perform with local activists and help make maps of camera locations
in Manchester.
During the early afternoon of Tuesday, 12 June 2001, the SCP assisted
three local residents (Adele, Alex and Jay) in the time-consuming
task of mapping camera locations in Manchester. Within a relatively
small area, the group counted a total of 139 surveillance cameras. If
these figures are correct, then the per-block density of cameras in
Manchester is almost twice that in Manhattan.
At 4 pm on Tuesday, 12 June 2001, the SCP returned to the Okasional
Cafe and prepared to perform It's OK, Officer. Inspired by the SCP's
presentation the previous evening, and by the fact that their squat
is watched by two different surveillance cameras, several people --
including Stacy, Jay, Ruth, Norm and Alex -- took part in the
peripatetic performance. Substantially enriched by the use of hats,
umbrellas, masks and other props, the performance began as soon as
the group exited the squat at 5 pm, and continued until 7:30 pm, when
the troupe finally returned home. It seems that during the
performance, the squat was visited by several people who looked
exactly like police detectives.
At 9 pm on Tuesday, 12 June 2001, the SCP gave a second presentation
at the Okasional Cafe. In part because the group didn't want to
repeat itself, and in part because relatively few people showed up,
the SCP concentrated on showing videotapes and didn't say very much.
Thanks to Adele, who converted the SCP's compilation tape from NTSC
to PAL, the group was able to show tapes of several of its
performances, and not just 1984. And yet, as far as the audience was
concerned, the SCP still talked too much! Drunk punks ("pissheads")
in the audience heckled and even interrupted the SCP's reading of the
list of military entities that monitor its web site. "What's this got
to do with me?" seemed to be their question. "I don't have a
computer." The SCP tried to explain that ownership or even use of a
computer wasn't the point, and that high-speed, Echelon-type military
technology would soon be used in the surveillance cameras that
monitor Manchester's streets. The point wasn't taken, and the
heckling continued. Very displeased with the way things were turning
out -- problems such as these had been occurring more and more
frequently in recent days -- the organizers of the event decided to
shut the doors early. The next day, they decided to close the squat
for a few months and re-open it in the fall.
On Wednesday, 13 June 2001, the SCP traveled from Manchester to
London, where the group stayed for the remainder of its tour. At
approximately 9 pm on Wednesday, the members of the SCP visited the
studios of Ninja Tune Headquarters in Kennington and were guests on
the "pirate TV show" hosted by DJ Coldcut (Matt and Mike). Long-time
SCP admirer and local activist Bongo was also in attendance. With
help from Bill's friend Jason, the SCP (Kimberly included) held up
pieces of paper that bore upon them such familiar slogans as "We know
you are watching," "Mind your own business" and "Who watches the
watchers?" The group also performed God's Eyes Here on Earth and
screened several of its videotapes. Though the SCP's appearance on
the show was thrown together at the very last minute, it came off
rather well, thanks to the creativity, resourcefulness and technical
expertise of Matt and Mike.
Between 10 am and noon on Thursday, 14 June 2001, the SCP (minus
Kimberly) visited the studios of News of the World, a British
satellite-based TV show that airs in China, Indonesia and Australia.
Though Bill was the only member of the SCP scheduled to be
interviewed, both Miranda and Susan came along. On the way to the TV
studio, a group of construction workers saw the SCP (a group of
people dressed all in black and carrying large placards) and in a
marvelously amicable and respectful way inquired, "Wot are we
protesting today?" (The answer was "Nothing, and everything.") Before
the interview took place, the SCP got a chance to catch a glimpse of
the footage that Roddy Mansfield shot in Bath: it looked quite good.
The interview itself, however, was something of a disappointment.
Though Bill was told he might have the opportunity to debate the
merits of surveillance cameras with a British policeman, no debate
took place. Instead, the interviewers posed a few questions to the
two guests, who didn't get a chance to speak to each other directly
on camera. Everyone in the SCP noticed that the questions posed to
the policeman (a Superintendent Morris) were far more confrontational
and difficult than the questions that were posed to Bill. Though the
show will certainly be very favorable towards the SCP, the group
would have liked a more level "playing field," especially since
Morris was a decent, thoughtful man who was not unconditionally in
favor of the use of surveillance cameras in public places. (For
example, he noted that one could never be sure that the occurrence of
fewer speeding violations could reasonably be attributed to the
installation of surveillance cameras, and not something like the
weather.)
Over lunch on Thursday, 14 June 2001, the SCP (minus Kimberly) was
interviewed by Megan, a reporter from a London-based magazine called
YearZero.
Between 6 pm and 8 pm on Friday, 15 June 2001, the SCP (Kimberly
included) performed It's OK, Officer along London's Oxford Street, a
posh street completely given over to the sale of commodities. This
performance was photographed by both Megan and the police officers
who monitor the feeds coming from "their" surveillance cameras. At
precisely 7 pm, at the corner of Duke Street and Oxford Street, one
of these cameras swiveled around, pointed directly at the performers,
and followed them when they moved on. The same thing happened at
precisely 7:13 pm, at the corner of Portman Street and Oxford Street.
In part because the SCP didn't use costumes, which keep the mood
light, and in part because there are many more surveillance cameras
operating in public in London than in Manchester, the London
performance of It's OK, Officer was far more serious than the one the
SCP gave in Manchester on Tuesday, 12 June 2001. Without planning to
do so, Bill, at the front of the line of walking performers, found
himself concluding his part of the performance by giving each
surveillance camera the group encountered a Nazi-style salute. Like
the others in the line, he was strongly affected by the gesture. As
for the passers-by who saw the performance, their reactions were
generally very favorable.
Between 1 pm and 4 pm on Saturday, 16 June 2001, the SCP (Kimberly
included) participated in a rain-soaked but still very large rally
and march in favor of the de-criminalization of possessing, growing
and/or using marijuana. Along with tens of thousands of people, the
SCP rallied in Kennington Park and then marched en masse to Brockwell
Park in Brixton. At all times, a police helicopter hovered overhead,
taking pictures. Holding aloft the two boards that make up We know
you are watching: MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!, the SCP were a very big
hit with both the other marchers and the police. At three different
times and places -- 2:10 pm, at the corner of Atlantic Avenue and
Dordell Street; 2:10 pm, at the corner of Brighton Terrrace and
Atlantic Avenue, and 2:30 pm, at the corner of Windrush Square and
Effra Road -- the SCP was rather obviously watched and videotaped by
a surveillance camera.
At noon on Sunday, 17 June 2001, the SCP (Kimberly included) and
Jason performed God's Eyes Here on Earth in front of St. Paul's
Cathedral in London. Like the one at the Abbey Church in Bath, this
performance was a disappointment. Few people were on hand to see it,
and those who were on hand were mostly tourists. Mark from Reclaim
the Streets was on hand and took pictures.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact the Surveillance Camera Players
By snail mail: SCP c/o NOT BORED! POB 1115, Stuyvesant Station, New
York City 10009-9998
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