"Video sniffers" subverting surveillance for art

By Golnar Motevalli

ABERDEEN, Scotland (Reuters) - Don't be alarmed by that strange youth acting out in front of the security cameras, he's just making an art house movie.

Artists in Britain are intercepting and recording security camera footage to make their own films in a reaction against the seemingly ever-present surveillance camera.

"Video sniffers" intercept wireless camera signals using basic electronic receivers, similar to a device used to pick up television signals. This, connected to a camcorder, allows the sniffer to view images from nearby closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras.

"In the UK it is interesting because we are the most surveyed society in the world," said Richard Wright, a digital artist and video sniffer from London.

Wright calls video sniffing "DIY media" and says it allows people to make use of the myriad security cameras on street corners, in car parks and in shops throughout Britain.

One widely quoted study estimates Britain has more than 4.2 million cameras, although police cast doubt on this figure.

"Not only are we (video sniffers) interested in this notion of controlling vision but we are interested in anonymity," Wright said.

"(Video sniffing is) like going on safari to look for wireless CCTV signals," he added. "Groups of kids typically walk down a street watching as a signal becomes stronger and then it becomes an art to judge from your surroundings what sort of buildings are being surveyed."