Dispassionate Eye

I created this chapbook after my van’s side mirror was clipped and broken by a passing truck. I cursed its crossing into my lane on the narrow suburban road. Then I exchanged shards of mirror-glass tidied up from the tarmac. Perhaps I should have exchanged insurance particulars. My thinking was that the delivery truck company would have recorded the incident, establishing their driver’s culpability beyond doubt.

Later that evening, cycling to a rugby game, I wondered how many cars were watching me. Front, side and rear cameras are among sensors installed on most modern cars to defeat confusing urban space restrictions.

The threat of terrorism initiated ubiquitous security camera coverage. Once government-controlled, policing-networked and subject to some regulations, the technology escaped into unregulated usage. Security became surveillance, surveillance became normalised. 

At first, web-cams were a bit of eye-candy fun. Later, street views allied to satellite mapping seemed acceptable. Reversing cameras were welcomed. Doorbell cameras made sense. Intimate views of birds’ nests became possible, including infrared lest we miss night action. Annoying and intrusive drones appeared overhead filming our nature walks. Facial recognition joined fingerprinting and DNA in the identification parade.

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This chapbook was photographed over two hours on May 22, 2023 using a Campark X30 mounted on my bicycle helmet. The exposure was fixed and the camera set to record a JPEG image every 30 seconds. The pictures were culled, selected and developed in Adobe Lightroom where I used different ‘styles’ to add some visual variety after I blurred faces.

This was done while training for the Ring of Beara sportif which was successfully completed on May 28.

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The Bracket Books chapbooks are available for online purchase through FabHappy but perhaps you’d prefer to enquire here. They’re published each calendar month, each copy uniquely numbered and posted at the end of each month. Prices include packaging, delivery, all currency and inflation risks.

2023 SUBSCRIPTIONS
One calendar year (12 issues):
Republic of Ireland: €135
Rest of World: €145 / UK£125 / US$145

Any one issue:
Republic of Ireland: €14
Rest of World: €15 / UK£13 / US$15
Institutions add 30%