SOMEONE
4-channel video, 44' / 2019
Courtesy of
Software and hardware development:
Interface development:
Furniture design:
Smart home participant collaborators include
Photo © Andrei Stseburaka, courtesy of the YermilovCentre 
Photo © Andrei Stseburaka, courtesy of the YermilovCentre 
Photo © Oleksandr Osipov, courtesy of the YermilovCentre 
Photo © Oleksandr Osipov, courtesy of the YermilovCentre 
Photo © Oleksandr Osipov, courtesy of the YermilovCentre
Lauren McCarthy's art installation "SOMEONE" critically explores the implications of home automation and pervasive surveillance technologies for our lives. In 2019 the artist transformed the 205 Hudson Gallery in New York into a command center from which visitors could observe and interact with participants' homes across the United States, outfitted with cameras, microphones, and networked appliances. This interactive experience challenged participants to act as human smart home assistants responding to the residents' requests, thus reversing the roles typically played by devices like Amazon Alexa.
Video as a result of interaction examines the boundaries of privacy and the intrusive nature of smart home technologies. Placing human operators in the control seat, it highlights the discomfort and ethical dilemmas posed by such technologies, which often go unquestioned in consumer culture. McCarthy's work draws attention to the increasing encroachment of corporate surveillance under the guise of convenience and connectedness, questioning the trade-offs between privacy and functionality in modern technological interactions. In this way, the artist questions the ambivalence of security and how transparent and blurred the boundaries between private and public spaces are. The piece juxtaposes the individual's domestic privacy with public exposure, offering a platform to reflect on how technology shapes our personal and social environments and safety.