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Trevor Paglen's Reaper Drone at the Wichita Art Museum

28 Nov, 2017

Trevor Paglen's Reaper Drone at the Wichita Art Museum

An art piece created by BCNM alum Trevor Paglen was recently showcased at the Wichita Art Museum, as part of its exhibition: “Surveillance: Who Is Watching You? Photographs from The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.”

Titled "Reaper Drone," Paglen captured a 4-foot-tall photograph of the sky, with a drone peeking out of the lower-right-hand corner. Other pieces include secret World War II-era photos, Google Street View images, and more.

According to the museum exhibition page:

With every movement recorded today by cameras, it might be surprising for some that surveillance is not a modern phenomenon. This exhibition examines photography's role in secretive looking from the 1860s to today.

Dating from 1864 to 2014, the works in this exhibition fall under categories of spying/hidden camera, photography of the forbidden, military surveillance, areas of heavy surveillance, and mapping satellites and drones. Also included are examples of counter-surveillance that either prevent watching or surveille the watchers.

The exhibition will be up at the Wichita Art Museum through March 4, 2018. For more information, visit its official website.