News/Research

Alum Trevor Paglen Builds Cryptographic Puzzle in Flag for Creative Time

20 Mar, 2018

Alum Trevor Paglen Builds Cryptographic Puzzle in Flag for Creative Time

UPDATE:

Paglen's Weeping Angel flag has been featured in Art News, "Institutions Across America to Fly Trevor Paglen’s ‘Weeping Angel’ Flag."

From the article:

"Featuring a weeping angel surrounded by code, the flag is part of “Pledges of Allegiance,” an initiative mounted by New York’s Creative Time for which artist-designed flags have been raised in opposition to the election of President Donald Trump.

"Paglen, who was awarded a MacArthur “genius” grant last year, named the flag Weeping Angel in reference to a tool used by the Central Intelligence Agency to spy on Americans by secretly using cameras switched to “off” mode in internet-connected TVs. But the references need not be limited to surveillance technology—according to a release, Paglen is also nodding to the TV series Doctor Who, which features a fan-favorite episode about sculptures called Weeping Angels that watch unsuspecting Brits."

Read the article here.

Original Post:

Alum Trevor Paglen has contributed "Weeping Angel" to Creative Time's Pledges of Allegiance. His flag is on display form March 14 - April 4, 2018.

Pledges of Allegiance is a serialized commission of sixteen flags. Each flag points to an issue the artist is passionate about, a cause they believe is worth fighting for, and speaks to how we might move forward collectively. Conceived in response to the current political climate, Pledges of Allegiance aims to inspire a sense of community among cultural institutions, and begin articulating the urgent response our political moment demands.

From the website:

"Trevor Paglen, known for his unflinching critique of the surveillance state, creates a flag that further enhances our “visual vocabulary” on this pressing issue. The image of the weeping angel surrounded by code is a multivalent one; Weeping Angel, is the name for a hacking tool that the CIA reportedly developed to spy on citizens, in which internet-connected TVs would be retooled to be in a fake “off” mode but covertly send recordings back. Alternately, the angels may also reference sci-fi villains from the Dr. Who series or a term from quantum physics describing entities that cease to exist if one attempts to observe them."

Paglen included a series of code in his flag and invited viewers to unpack the puzzle.

Read more about Pledges of Allegiance here and see if you can solve the mystery!