Words: Emma Pallent | Photography: Danny Evans
It’s hard not to wonder whether your phone is eavesdropping on your conversations when the product you just mentioned to a friend coincidentally finds its way into your feed as sponsored content. While taping over front-facing cameras on laptops and smartphones to block out the CIA may seem far-fetched to some, for those who grew up in a digital age the line between reality and conspiracy theories can feel blurred. Being surrounded by black mirrors that facilitate the commodification of personal data can easily breed distrust and induce a sense of being watched – handing over control of your information to someone who has their interests, not yours, at heart. Although technological advancements have made life easier in many ways, it’s hard to deny that certain elements and side effects feel distinctly Orwellian.
1984 came and went without Big Brother establishing his dictatorship over us, but what would Orwell think of the world we live in now? A resident of London may be unknowingly recorded on security cameras over 300 times daily, and social media algorithms know your attention span down to the millisecond.
This mass surveillance and data collection was at the forefront of Amy Parker-Rann’s mind when she set out to depict a dystopian gaming landscape where a giant eye in a tower watches over all. Her illustrations and animations combine futuristic and fantasy elements, exploring societal issues and themes of protest under the more lighthearted guise of gameplay. Titled Eye City, her body of work aims to convey the paranoia of being watched and a sense of excessive surveillance, following four dissenting characters with anti-establishment tendencies as they disobey government rules within their dystopian cyberpunk city.
The concept design was visually inspired by London’s east side and its graffiti tunnels, plastered with eye-catching art and posters. Her experiences absorbing these cityscapes came hand in hand with an awareness of the underlying topics she wanted to explore in her work. “Across London, I was really aware of the whole idea that we are always being watched,” she said. “It felt like there was some sort of higher power keeping a close eye on everything.” It’s where the idea behind the game came from: one ruling power, and civil guards that are essentially walking surveillance cameras. Some works feature neon messages, posters listing prohibited activities, and a tower topped with an eye that pierces the skyline.
All these ideas are packaged within the landscape of a video game to mirror the digital world in which her target audience first began to worry about surveillance and how their information is stored. It allowed her to explore ideas of protest and dissent, while keeping the finished product playful: “I wanted to keep it fun, so I created slightly humorous characters,” she explained, adding that she didn’t shy away from portraying their weaknesses and eccentric personalities when developing their profiles. “It was the most exciting part of the project,” she reflected, describing the diasporic nature of her dynamic group of four. From a hot-headed redhead to a gentle giant, a goofy tech guy, and a weapon mechanic, there’s enough energy in the quartet to enliven the dystopian themes running in the background.
Framing her art within the realm of a video game ultimately allowed her to pose a question to the audience. “The idea is, if this were turned into a game, someone could take part and actually interact with my work,” she said. With multiple options and routes that affect subsequent gameplay, players would have the chance, on some level, to act against the culprits of mass surveillance. “I wanted to educate people on ways to stay smarter and sharper about their information and what they give out,” she said, “as well as how to oppose anything that tries to take control of it.”
