From August 28th to September 22nd, the New Museum will be hosting a “Privacy Gift Shop” curated with counter-surveillance items created by artist Adam Harvey and fashion designer Johanna Bloomfield. Items will include an anti-drone scarf, the “OFF Pocket” which blocks incoming and outgoing calls, a Metal Dollar Bill to shield your wallet from RFID skimming, and a redesign of the I Love NY tshirt with optical character resistant font so the NSA can’t read what you wear. Also on Harvey’s website: anti-drone hoodie and burqa, camouflage face detection, and Camoflash, an anti-paparazzi clutch. Harvey’s website also has a DNA Spoofing tutorial.
According to Harvey:
In 2013 I received an inquiry from an intelligence agency to publish my artwork in a classified document. I obliged but was frustrated by the odd request. Was I a suspect or an inspiration? And what does it mean for an artwork to become classified intel? Beguiled, I imagined a way to make my work as accessible and unclassified as possible. The result of that inquiry is the Privacy Gift Shop. It’s my vision to bring privacy and counter surveillance ideas to a wider audience and engage in discussions about how art, design, and creativity can play a role in protecting privacy.”
Michelle is the founder of Untapped New York and the author of The Art Spy (HarperOne, forthcoming) Secret Brooklyn, Secret New York Hidden Bars & Restaurants, and Broadway. michelleyoungwriter.com
