Privacy is a Luxury
Privacy is a Luxury visually investigates the 'price of privacy in our surveillance era. The installation centers on a gold-plated Guy Fawkes mask an iconic symbol of anonymous resistance transformed through its integration with Wi-Fi routers
Antennas and ATM/POS 'We Accept' decal
as the masks headband. The piece manifests as a laboratory-like exploration where an ATM/POS decal mounted on the mask's forehead directly confronts viewers with the commodification of digital privacy. The two Wi-Fi routers with protruding antennas create a broadband signal exoskeleton. The work examines how privacy tools remain paradoxically tethered to corporate infrastructures. Decals of VPN company logos (NordVPN
, ExpressVPN
, Surfshark
, ProtonVPN
, Mullvad
), serves as a critical discourse on the commercialization of anonymity trade-off to buy back privacy in an era where data extraction runs rampant and personal security becomes a product to be bought and sold.
Overview
Privacy is a Luxury explores the intersection of digital privacy and corporate surveillance through a sculptural installation. The work combines iconic symbols of digital resistance with commercial privacy products, creating a critical examination of how privacy has become a commodity in our surveillance era. The installation's physical manifestation serves as both a commentary and a functional object, highlighting the paradox of privacy tools that remain tethered to corporate infrastructures.
Artistic Intent
The Privacy is a Luxury critiques the illusion of digital anonymity in an era of mass surveillance. The piece fuses the iconography of privacy and resistance with the very corporate entities that sell privacy as a product, emphasizing its status as a cultural artifact of digital resistance.
Interpretation
The artwork explores the paradox of digital privacy in an age where anonymity itself has become a commodity. By combining the iconic Guy Fawkes mask—a symbol of resistance and anonymity—with corporate VPN branding and functional technology, the piece questions whether true digital privacy is possible within existing corporate infrastructures. The ATM/POS terminal represents the monetization of privacy, while the glowing router antennas suggest constant connectivity even in supposed anonymity.