We'll Be Safe Here

Wawi Navarroza trains her lens on the cameras that are constantly trained on us -- recording our comings and goings in the name of public safety and crime prevention -- in the work, We'll Be Safe Here, (2010). This ring of multidirectional cameras was an early design that enabled 360 degree views of the surrounding area, providing 24/7 surveillance of public parks, subway stations, airport terminals, and government buildings in Singapore. The work contemplates mankind's complex relationship with technology, raising relevant questions about the increasing use of surveillance data by governments and private corporations, the fine balance between public safety and personal privacy, and the social and behavioural impact of technology on individuals and communities. The photograph also becomes a marker of time, a record of a technology eventually rendered obsolete by future versions.

Although known for her self-portraiture and picture-making, Navarozza also embraces photography as “picture-taking,” in which her keen eye isolates details that might easily go unnoticed under the veil of the everyday, taking these objects out of their usual contexts and considering them from an artistic perspective.