Date 10/13/08
Affiliation Artist, SJSU, San Jose
On Monday, October 13, artist Hasan Elahi will describe his experiences with FBI interrogation and his subsequent art project in a public lecture, "Tracking Transcience: The Orwell Project," part of UC Berkeley's ongoing Art, Technology, and Culture Colloquium.
After an erroneous tip called into law enforcement authorities in 2002, Elahi was subjected to an intensive post 9-11 investigation by the FBI. After undergoing months of interrogations and nine lie-detector tests, he was cleared of suspicions. After this harrowing experience, Elahi conceived "Tracking Transience" (http://trackingtransience.net), a self-tracking system that constantly and publicly presents his exact location, activities, and other personal data to provide This self-surveillance project is a critique of contemporary investigative techniques and provides an ongoing "alibi" for Elahi in the event of future accusations.
Elahi's talk begins at 7:30 in 160 Kroeber Hall, UC Berekeley, California. The event is free and open to the public. For information call
510-642-0635.
Hasan Elahi is an interdisciplinary artist whose work examines issues of surveillance, simulated time, transport systems, borders, and frontiers. His work has been presented in numerous exhibitions at venues such as the Centre Georges Pompidou, Sundance Film Festival, Kassel Kulturbahnhof, The Hermitage, and at the Venice Biennale. Elahi recently was invited to speak about his work at the Tate Modern, Einstein Forum, and at the American Association of Artificial Intelligence. His work has been supported with significant grants from the Creative Capital Foundation, Ford Foundation/Philip Morris, and the Asociación Artetik Berrikuntzara in Donostia-San Sebastián in the Basque Country/Spain. Currently, he is an Assistant Professor at San José State University.
-- As of 10/13/08