The Observer Effect

The Observer Effect

Nehal El-Hadi (Writer), Daniele Bartolini (Director), Alexis Eastman (Producer).

Conceived of and developed in residency at The Theatre Centre Toronto.

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The Observer Effect is a live arts events — a public space performance — about surveillance, consent, and privacy staged within a public space. It is an urban history tour set 14 years into the future. The tour guide recounts the sanitised events of the 2028 privacy riots, which occurred in response to two events: the creation of a biometric database for residents of the city (ostensibly for efficient delivery of city services), and the local police force being granted access to private live camera feeds. As the group move through the square, they learn that the impact was far more wide-reaching and insidious than the official version of events.

The Observer Effect is an extension of my doctoral work into the internet and urban planning, and my ongoing research into surveillance, consent, and privacy.