Vibeke Jensen

I am concerned with 'what is at stake' in a given public space, finding connections between subjectivity and the collective, micro-politics and macro-politics. My projects deal with breaking borders and boundaries, visualizing hidden power structures, and the relationships between openness and control. Trying to define a moment where something is put in motion, opens up and touches deep down.

I investigate the ongoing contest over the control of public space. The current increase in population and information flows is matched by confinements, prohibitions, surveillance and loss of civil liberties. There are various forms of psychological warfare going on, where security systems and checkpoints, virtual frontiers and specialized zones are introduced to influence the public's mental space. Simultaneously there is a constant effort to redefine borders and their transgression. As spy cameras, security guards and computerized surveillance systems close in on us, I explore the ways in which we resist society's attempts to regulate individuals through suspicion and fear. I engage the public in thinking about how to turn the current climate into an active and discursive public space.

I explore the pleasures and fears of watching and being watched. In my installations I challenge viewers to explore different positions of looking. I pose questions of who is watching whom, and invite the puSite Investigation: Equation Shield, site view, urban intervention, Trondheim LED sign, steel shield, poles, concrete base. Dimensions: 150x250x90 cm AVSLØRT = (unveiled) A round shield sited in front of the Trondheim Public Library. Legal and everyday terms and classifications of people, places and acts are displayed continuously while the shield mirrors passers-by and the surroundings.blic to actively observe themselves and others.