Lyric, 2016
Initiated in the Summer of 2003 as a means to curb street-level violence, the Chicago Police Department’s Police Observation Device (POD) program has been utilized as a tactic in neighborhood policing ever since. These devices, originally brandishing the Chicago Police official seal, feature cameras capable of capturing footage and communicating data in real time. While the CPD claims these devices effective in curbing street crime, civil liberties advocates like the ACLU argue that, not only is it unclear how effective PODs actually are in stopping crime, but these panoptic devices might also pose serious threats to our rights to privacy from government surveillance ensured by the constitution.
Lyric reimagines Police Observation Devices (PODs) remote observation cameras operated by the Chicago Police Department (PCD) used to surveil activities on the streets of Chicago neighborhoods. In this installation, the CPD POD is turned on its head and transformed into flashing club lights. Within the gallery space, performers dance to music on headphones and co-create documentation of their performance, reclaiming agency in the context of a carceral surveillance society.
