The Art of Stasi Surveillance

No, these aren’t images of ironically dressed hipsters culled from the pages of an Urban Outfitters catalog but rather the uncovered surveillance archives of the East German secret police, the Stasi.

Photographer Simon Menner’s dicovery and display of this archive is not meant to be humourous, it’s a reminder to the viewer of the overbearing nature of government agencies as Menner remarked to Reuters reporter Sarah Marsh:

“These were used during courses on how to dress up and blend into society,” the 33 year-old artist said. “They seem pretty absurd now, but it was meant seriously — this is evil stuff.”

Other photos revealed that Polaroids were used to document how an apartment was arranged before a search took place so that objects could be returned as found; leaving no trace that your privacy had been completely violated.

This display is meant to be a lasting reminder that the “art of disguise” has obviously advanced and will continually remain a part of our lives. Whether we know it or not.

Via NY Times Lens Blog / Reuters / Conscientious Extended