About

Description

Mother of the Free is a new body of work by Nikolai Voelcker. Taking the form of Europe’s largest mobile digital billboard, it took over the streets of Soho to draw attention to the expansion of live facial recognition (LFR) surveillance. By using homoerotic imagery, the artwork not only catches the public’s attention but also draws on a visual language associated with a minority community that knows all too well the dangers of surveillance.

The work responds to the ongoing expansion of LFR technology in the country, especially the rollout of permanent LFR cameras in Soho. Mayor Sadiq Khan said the rollout would be gradual rather than a ‘big bang’, which he described as a ‘disaster’. Voelcker says, ‘The goal is quite clear: the frog is just being boiled slowly.’

This video artwork brings together a range of images, texts and animations. It imagines a future in which citizens must conceal their identities to move freely through the streets of the UK. By sometimes adopting the aesthetic of an action-movie poster, the piece presents this dystopian future as a ‘coming soon’ attraction.

The title subverts the patriotic anthem Land of Hope and Glory by playing on its chorus: ‘Land of Hope and Glory, Mother of the Free.’ Voelcker says, ‘In the song, Britain is personified as “Mother of the Free”. “The Free” stands for the people who belong to the nation. Who belongs to the nation has changed. Who belongs to the nation will always change. Facial recognition surveillance is a threat to everyone who doesn’t belong. Facial recognition surveillance is a threat to us all.’

Collaborators

Animation: Sislej
Music: Mahou

Thanks to Jess, Yeeun, Dylan, Ryan, Seles, Emmanuel, Nicholas, George

Links

Website
Instagram