LOCK HAVEN, Pa. -
World-renowned artist Hasan Elahi will speak at Lock Haven University on Thursday, February 12 at 7:00 p.m. in Price Auditorium. Elahi will discuss his current body of self-surveillance works. Elahi’s appearance at Lock Haven University is sponsored by the Student Fine Arts Society, the LHU Student Cooperative Council and the LHU Foundation. The event is free and open to the public.
A United States citizen born in Bangladesh, Elahi was erroneously detained by the Department of Homeland Security after 9-11 and investigated by the FBI. After being cleared, Elahi began “Tracking Transience: The Orwell Project” in which he uses a self-tracking device to constantly document and report his exact location, communications, and other personal information. He maintains websites and a database that provide images of the airports he passes through and the food he eats as well as other details of his travels. His project satirizes intelligence-gathering by “Big Brother” and provides minute-by-minute proof of his own activities.
Jason Bronner, associate professor of art at LHU, said, “Elahi of international caliber as a speaker, artist and researcher.” He added, “I am extremely excited to bring him here.”
Elahi’s work has been presented in numerous exhibitions at venues such as the Centre Georges Pompidou, Sundance Film Festival, Kassel Kulturbahnhof, The Hermitage, and at the Venice Biennale. Elahi recently was invited to speak about his work at the Tate Modern, Einstein Forum, and at the American Association of Artificial Intelligence.
Elahi’s work has been supported with significant grants from the Creative Capital Foundation, Ford Foundation/Philip Morris, and the Asociación Artetik Berrikuntzara in Donostia-San Sebastián in the Basque Country/Spain. His work is frequently in the media and has been covered by The New York Times, Forbes, Wired, CNN, ABC, CBS, NPR, Al Jazeera, and has appeared on The Colbert Report. Currently, he is an Assistant Professor at San José State University. He is also 2009 Resident Faculty and Nancy G. MacGrath Endowed Chair at Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine. His work can be viewed online at www.elahi.org and www.trackingtransience.net.