Comments: big brother

i spy with my little eye, a security camera. nice shot.

Posted by sly at April 19, 2006 01:40 AM

really beauitufl
love the lines and the pov...
framing too

nice

Posted by zbjerna at April 19, 2006 02:00 AM

I can see one on the very left but looks like there is another one on bottom right.

Posted by Jeet at April 19, 2006 02:29 AM

i'm a fan of your pics. they are awesome! always! must say i couldn't find the Big Brother in this pic. :( where/what is it?

Posted by rohit(pune,india) at April 19, 2006 02:37 AM

Nice test for the lens :)

Posted by acoustic at April 19, 2006 03:19 AM

nevermind the camera, the whole building looks like it could be something out of 1984 or a similar themed book, it's a - freakishly - nice shot though

Posted by Ige Egal at April 19, 2006 03:51 AM

salam
kheili jalebe , man nemidonestam , shoma Irani hasteed.:)
emrooz etefaghi motvaje shodam.
Good luck in your image hunting and win in the best moment hunting for your life.

Posted by Dordaneh at April 19, 2006 04:02 AM

The reflections here are really cool! The surveillance camera seems like a natural fit to this kind of big, impersonal building.

Posted by Lars at April 19, 2006 04:51 AM

Ha! I'm surprised there's only one the way this country is going.

Great composition.

Posted by Louise at April 19, 2006 05:00 AM

You mean the camera that catches the punks painting graffiti all over the wall or throwing rocks at the windows?

Third storey up on the left.

Posted by Jack Bush at April 19, 2006 07:16 AM

CCTC camera on the lower left, 3 story up from the bottom on the page on the left margin.

Posted by Jim Spence at April 19, 2006 07:41 AM

Awesome study in patterns!

Posted by clarence at April 19, 2006 07:43 AM

Great pattern and perspective.

Posted by Chantal at April 19, 2006 07:48 AM

I assume you are talking about the pole mounted camera.

Posted by Chuck Krug at April 19, 2006 08:10 AM

Abstructure -- Abstract structure. Wow, I like this building!!! Such a cool sense of rythm. Cool reflections in the windows. Nice job!

Posted by DeWaun at April 19, 2006 08:41 AM

Cool. Wonder if it's any indication of my distrust of the government that I noticed it right away? ;-)
Very nice shot. Good color, also!

Posted by Alice at April 19, 2006 09:12 AM

Awesome shot...the combination of arcitecture and symmetry is mesmerizing...but all your shots are:)

Posted by Sylvia at April 19, 2006 09:21 AM

good.

Posted by mtv200 at April 19, 2006 09:22 AM

I found it ont he left side. Nice shot. I love the window reflections and the light on the concrete. I wonder how it would look in color or with a blue toning.

Posted by Benjamin Riley at April 19, 2006 09:37 AM

big brother is actually right where my eyes went first...

Posted by timmothy at April 19, 2006 10:03 AM

wow i love the pattern (:
but i cant find the "big brother"

Posted by christine at April 19, 2006 10:18 AM

Nice! I like the reflected light and shadows.
The grid is so regular - you almost look past the front plane and into the sky beyond.

Posted by don Guss at April 19, 2006 10:20 AM

It's there, on the left, about 1/3 up from the bottom.

Posted by Carl B. Constantine at April 19, 2006 10:22 AM

Superb pic of a very ugly building and an even uglier outcome of Blair's implementation of Orwell's 1984 20+ years behind schedule.

I started working in 1969 close to the other end of the street (Tottenham Court Road), just after this concrete monstosity was built.

It stood empty for years, and was a scandal at the time.

During strolls past it I never dreamed of being spied upon in the country that is the mother of democracy. Now we are the most CCTV observed nation on the planet. Roll on the biometric ID cards.

I know that the object of your blog is to comment upon the merits of the image (it's very good, as stated), but I could not resist the chance to tell the world how severe the observ .......... ooops, gotta go.

Posted by Ricardo at April 19, 2006 10:33 AM

cool shot,
i would hate to live there. Kind of look like some kind of "mind-prison".

Well, big brother??? on the left, right???

Posted by nicolas at April 19, 2006 10:55 AM

We must work in the same building because yesterday when I looked out one of our windows, I saw exactly this! Then I said to myself ... now THIS is art! :O)

Posted by sarah at April 19, 2006 10:57 AM

Wow. I have stood in front of the Centrepoint building many times (most recently two weeks ago) but have never seen it like this-- where exactly did you stand, and what lens etc?
-Michael

Posted by Michael at April 19, 2006 11:04 AM

You may call it "big brother" but the camera is one reason London is better prepared to deal with terroists and run of the mill criminals and hooligans than Toronto

Posted by Tyler at April 19, 2006 11:15 AM

am i the first?
awesome as usual!

Posted by pedro at April 19, 2006 11:38 AM

Spectacular patterns, Sam. I love how in a few windows, one can see the clouds. GREAT shot (again).

Posted by Daniel Seguin at April 19, 2006 11:55 AM

Yeah I am the first one to comment, I have been in London 3 years now and I have no idea where this building is. Great shot BTW have you ever been to Canary Wharf ? There are some awesome photo opportunities.

Posted by Ruan at April 19, 2006 11:55 AM

nice patterns in here and i really like the quality of light in here.

Posted by armeen at April 19, 2006 12:19 PM

I love the almost metallic feel to this, and the pattern is just wonderful. The security camera really adds to this Sam. Superb shot!

Posted by Gavin at April 19, 2006 02:39 PM

Check out Apartment 427, Third window from the left.
That's Linda Murray's place. Nice bod after she comes back from work around 6:15 PM.
Got that info from the cop's who monitor the camera.

;-)

Posted by Chuck at April 19, 2006 02:44 PM

Wow, I never knew a security camera could draw so much controversy. I live in the NYC metro area and they are a blessing to me. I am no longer as fearful to go walking around NYC. I don't know if the cameras are the reason, but I know that crime, although still present, not nearly as pervasive as it once was.

I know that security cameras would have done nothing to prevent 9-11, but perhaps an attack like the first WTC attack in 1998, Oklahoma City bombing (11 years ago today), or Subway, bridge or tunnel target is better protected through the use of these cameras. It is a different world after all. This fact cannot be denied.

I live in a suburb of NYC and there are even some security cameras around here. It doesn't bother me at all. My philosophy, I should only be afraid if my intent is to break the law, other than that, no worries.

Great shot of an interesting building.

Posted by Laurie at April 19, 2006 03:30 PM

Cool pic man - I'm a fan of this black and white work - kinda interesting architecture wouldn't you say?

Posted by Patrick at April 19, 2006 03:37 PM

Like the pattern!

Posted by arvindh at April 19, 2006 04:04 PM

I think I would disagree with Ricardo when he thinks he should comment only on the photos art merit. Part of the whole art is to have a photo that people react to - in any way at all - it should stimulate the viewer and it may have nothing to do with the image as it would relate to others.

So, Ricardo, I think your comments are appropriate.

This building, for me,is strange at age 74 with my left eye having early age related macular degeneration (AMD) that eye sees a line of type in a slightly wavy form at the moment. I hope my right eye never goes bad; but it likely will, and then I would not have a clue if there are straight lines here or what. It's both funny and pathetic.

Thanks for the view, Sam. And only 2 spy cameras is not bad - uh, I guess.

Posted by Hugh Petrie at April 19, 2006 04:49 PM

not to be a bummer or anything, but i get the feeling looking at this that you over corrected the 17mm's distortion, the verticals on the builing seem to bow out, maybe you shoulve rounded up to 18mm or something

Posted by darren at April 19, 2006 05:05 PM

Great exercise for the eyes. They keep darting about admiring the patterns.

Posted by micki at April 19, 2006 06:41 PM

You really managed to capture the cold, oppressive feel of 1984 in this shot. amazing

Posted by April at April 19, 2006 06:54 PM

I don't know how you couldn't notice the camera immmediately. It stands out terribly and breaks the symmetry of the building. The lamp post annoys me too. Great Shot, I love the reflections.

Posted by Scott at April 19, 2006 07:18 PM

Hmmm its a great shot...but is it really a bulding?

Posted by Dave at April 20, 2006 01:01 AM

Nice shot with beautiful patterns of an ugly building that you would see a lot around London Central. Most surprisingly is the Camera that -in your words is big brother and watching the road only. I am wondering what if anybody tries to use the upper floors to do a nasty thing? Are there any cameras above that level or should we rely on The Big Brother himself to deal with the devil on earth?
Well, your photos are going a good direction and are changing to more interesting subjects.
Cool.

Posted by Payam Nikdast at April 20, 2006 07:18 AM

Ooh I work here but can't work out which is my window!

Posted by Laura at April 20, 2006 10:53 AM

I see it - center loer left.

I like the shadows, texture, and the waviness. Very cool!

Posted by Abe at April 21, 2006 07:45 PM

The walls of the Centrepoint Tower building in London, UK, are curved, so the effect here is not distorted. Here are a few other images where the effect is clearer in context. I've added in some other info. I hope adding links is OK.

Funny how for many years, possibly starting with "We", by Zamyatin/Zamiatin or Orwell's "Nineteen Eighty-four" (with Big Brother), strong general surveillance was a shorthand marker used by dramatists & writers to say 'authoritarian', 'totalitarian', 'dictatorship', 'state terror' or 'repressive regime', whether the power was fascist, communist, or even corporate, yet they're widely accepted now.
We already know from experience with other types of power & surveillance (informers, censorship, etc.) - not using cameras - over very many years in a wide variety of countries the kinds of excuses and step-by-step methods of bringing in controls, so it's sad to see how well they keep on working, as I can read in the comments here.

www.artofthestate.co.uk/london_photos/centrepoint_tower_london.htm

www.aviewoncities.com/ building/centrepoint.htm

www.tate.org.uk/britain/exhibitions/artandthe60s/thm_realimagdcities.htm (Tate Gallery site) says: Centre Point marks the crossing of Oxford Street and Charing Cross Road in central London. This building, designed by the architect Richard Seifert, remained unlet for many years. The developers calculated that, with the sharp rise in rents, it would be better to keep it empty than tie its value down to a particular rent. This was a social scandal in a city full of homeless people.

www.guardian.co.uk/gallery/image/0,8543,-10804251730,00.html

This, linked below, is commonly called "Centrepoint Tower" in Sydney, but its official name is currently just "Sydney Tower". They've just added an outdoor glass-floored walkway on the roof to try and take a bit of the business of the very popular Bridgewalk, which climbs over the arch of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

psychro.bioinformatics.unsw.edu.au/neil/index.php?option=com_gallery2&Itemid=71&g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=2373

Posted by Mez at April 21, 2006 11:24 PM

It took a while to see the camera. I guess I was too distracted by the incredible patterns and toning.

Posted by Andy at April 23, 2006 06:22 PM

My room is NOT the third window from the left.
It is the corner room, 4th floor.
~ Linda
P.S. Hello Officer Nigel Garrett

Posted by Linda Murray at May 3, 2006 07:30 AM

yeah there everywhere in london lol, the building looks very dizzying.
good job

Posted by Immortal23 at July 3, 2006 04:27 AM
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