A Competition Entry for a Panopticon Design
When thinking about how architecture can support surveillance, I think about ways architecture can promote the watching over people, especially in a prison setting like how we discussed during class this week. The photo above depicts a panopticon design, which is a prison design where one officer can watch everything and everyone through the tower in the middle. This design was developed because it achieves complete control and surveillance over the prisoners, giving the them absolutely no opportunity to hide. The tower in the center is something all prisoners could see, however they cannot see the guards themselves, which allowed them no way of knowing if they were being watched. I think this panopticon design is a great example of showing how architecture can achieve surveillance and control over people.
I agree that the architectural design of the panopticon is a great example of the surveillance of the prison setting. The architectural layout of the building type enforces control over the inmates. The centralized observation tower positioned in the center allows for the constant monitoring of inmates. Allowing one person to watch all the individuals without being seen themselves. This also creates a psychological atmosphere of uncertainty, as inmates are unsure of whether or not they are being watched. This allows for a sense of internalized surveillance.
This reminds me of two-way mirrors used in police stations and while as cameras. These mechanisms allow for surveillance as well as the sense of surveillance. Even if no one is actively watching you through these, there is still a sense of being watched. This causes people to be on their “best behavior “.
As discussed in lecture, prisons Have high levels of surveillance. The architecture of prisons is often used to control inmates through constant surveillance of things such as movement and activities.