About… software, surveillance, scariness, subjectivity (and SVEN)

Abstract

The text discusses cultural and political implications of the subjective aspects of software and the SVEN project.1 SVEN (Surveillance Video Entertainment Network) is a public space software art project that uses custom computer vision software to detect pedestrians who in some way look like rock stars. The text introduces general audiences to SVEN’s approach to software subjectivity—in this case, concerning computer vision surveillance software. It also presents examples of software bias in contemporary culture and proposes software literacy as a public educational goal.