Exploring the intersection of art, technology, and social issues on Paglen’s work

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Miguel Ángel Roque
University of Castilla-La Mancha

Media Artivism refers to the use of digital and technological media to raise awareness and facilitate social and political transformation. Paglen’s artistic endeavors represent a powerful activist dimension epitomized in particular in his work Invisible Images (Your Pictures Are Looking at You). In this work, Paglen demonstrates how technology corporations exploit the images of viewers. Consequently, his work urges people to better understand how privacy works in the contemporary digital landscape, thus demanding more transparency and accountability from these corporations.


The work of Trevor Paglen serves as an excellent example of the interplay between art, science and technology, underscoring the significance of Media Artivism as a means of raising awareness and promoting social transformation. Paglen’s work offers a model for artists to employ digital and technological tools to engage with pressing political and social concerns and also to interrogate the role of technology in contemporary society. His artistic practise underscores the potential of media artivism as a conduit for critically examining the relationship between art, science and technology, and its potential to effect change in society.

Keywords
media activism, surveillance, technology, privacy, art

Article Details

How to Cite
Roque, Miguel Ángel. “Exploring the intersection of art, technology, and social issues on Paglen’s work”. Artnodes, no. 33, pp. 1-9, doi:10.7238/artnodes.v0i33.414417.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

(c) Miguel Ángel Roque, 2024


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Author Biography

Miguel Ángel Roque, University of Castilla-La Mancha

Professor and researcher at the University of Castilla-La Mancha with more than 15 years of experience as a member of the IDECA research group, dedicated to the research and development of audiovisual content. His academic background is consolidated with a highly distinguished Doctorate in Fine Arts, summa cum laude, supplemented by specialized design training at Accademia di Belle Arti di Bologna, Italy. His innovative approach is manifested in his work focused on new media, developing his activity in areas such as interactive art, three-dimensional graphics, 3D printing and scanning, animation and artificial intelligence. He has participated in more than 10 funded research projects and is an evaluator in half a dozen national and international research journals.

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