Finland (Aalto)

Security, both as a concept and as an industry, defines much of our public space and what kind of behaviour is tolerated within it. Pilvi Takala’s video installation Close Watch is based on her experience working covertly as a fully qualified security guard for Securitas. The multichannel installation is centred on a workshop she developed in response to issues encountered during her six-month employment in one of the biggest shopping malls in Finland. By making visible the hierarchies in the private security industry, Close Watch reflects on how control is enforced, and how we ultimately govern each other’s behaviour.