CityLife

Surveillance society given KISSS off

On The Spot by Joanna Callaghan 1 / 4 images

WITH talk of identity cards and the surveillance society dominating the headlines, it’s unsurprising to find that the art community – always a creative industry unafraid to be controversial – are coming out in protest.

And they are meeting the growing issues of control and resistance in today’s communities specifically with KISSS – the Kinship International Strategy on Surveillance and Suppression, now open at Manchester’s Castlefield Gallery.

It tackles the subject head on and believes that the need for artists to engage with the social, political climate is the only way forward.

A meeting of female minds, KISSS focuses on the encroaching presence of surveillance in modern society and reacts to its proliferation with speculation and critical analysis.

Body Fortress

The multimedia show combines the work of 30 artists and is split into four categories: Body Fortress, Media Watch, Bionic Bodies and I See You See.

Each examines a unique aspect of surveillance and suppression – from the personal to the subtext of the media, electronic tagging, the human as commodity and CCTV in public spaces.

Each artist – under the leadership of Camille Brueton, Deej Fabyc, Joanna Callaghan and Paula Roush – has a unique point of view, but they collectively ask questions about how the state of surveillance affects the way artists work and how they might respond to it in a ‘cohesive and powerful way’.

Contribute

The lead artists have also invited working artists from across the region to contribute to the show.

Contextually, the show is divided into two elements, including a group exhibition, a video screening, the KISSS seminar, elements from the KISSS archive (the programme was established in 2005 and has toured extensively since) and social networking online.

Deej Fabyc will also lead an organised night walk around the city.

KISSS is on at the Castlefield Gallery until Sunday, November 16 (Wednesday-Sunday, 1pm-6pm). Free.