FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY, 2001

Ludwig Forum für Internationale Kunst Aachen
Curated by Wolfgang Becker

In this installation the museum‘s surveillance system is misappropriated, deploying 16 channels of the video system for its own use. Two large-scale photos (approx. 130 x 180 cm) are installed in the main hall in such a way as to completely cut off the field of vision of the two video surveillance cameras. Instead of showing the actual exhibition room, these cameras now show photographs of the museum‘s toilets to incoming visitors. The entry doors to these toilets have written notices that warn that the area is being subjected to video surveillance.

1. On entering the museum, the visitor is confronted with the surveillance monitors installed at the museums entrance hall, easily visible from the cashier‘s counter. These screens now not only show changing images of the museum‘s rooms, but also of the toilets. Furthermore Mohné has installed a camera at the cash desk that records the reactions of the visitors to the supposed lavatory surveillance and transmits them live to the enclosed rondels within the main hall displaying the museum’s permanent collection.

2. Entering the hall, the visitors see the photographic blow-ups that show the toilets of the museum and that are in the field of vision of the museum‘s video cameras

3. If the visitors step into the rondels within the main hall, they are able to observe incoming visitors on the screen. In addition, on different monitors of the video surveillance system visitors can view other prior actions from Strasbourg, Münster, Washington and Innsbruck. On the outside wall of the rondels, photos from California and Prague are installed.

The public intervention is being continued so that, parallel to the exhibition, stickers with the text “For your own safety these facilities are being monitored by CCTV” have been installed at approx. 500 public toilets in Aachen: in museums, theatres, public institutions, restaurants, pubs, offices, etc. The photographic documentation is being presented in the museum and constantly brought up to date.