Please Don't Smile
Bill Emmett
Bachelor of Commerce / Bachelor of Fine Arts

Please Don't Smile
Through the lens of a security camera, Bill Emmett's work raises uneasy questions about who is looking at whom, for power or pleasure. The photographs question the legality of surveillance and the sensitivity of facial recognition technologies. Bill prompts the audience to expand their understanding emotionally, and challenge the way they think about surveillance and its social implications. The highly pixelated pictures conceptually convey the potential conflict with data privacy laws and emulate the algorithms used in facial recognition technologies. Furthermore, social media platforms have allowed individuals to expose their personal lives. This voyeurism into the lives of others may provoke an acceptance of the practice of spying on individuals.