Sentinel explores the intricate relationship between individuals and mobile technology in our hyperconnected era. For a decade, I embarked on a unique journey of self-surveillance by jailbreaking my iPhone and developing custom applications and scripts. This allowed me to program my device to automatically capture an image every time it was unlocked, essentially turning my smartphone into a vigilant sentinel, documenting my personal life and exposing my intimacy.

Through this process, I willingly subjected myself to a form of consensual surveillance, with each interaction meticulously cataloged and uploaded to my servers using my own custom scripts. The result is a vast archive of tens of thousands of photographs, each a testament to what we unknowingly surrender to our devices.

To materialize this exploration, I have created a series of mosaics using software that I specifically developed. These compositions translate digital interactions into a tangible format, transforming the ephemeral into the permanent by grouping the generated photos into panels organized by seasons, times of day (morning, afternoon, evening, night), and days of the week, underscoring the constant and inescapable nature of surveillance. This visual progression condenses years of surveillance into representations that may appear simple at first glance but, upon closer examination, reveal the richness and complexity of the moments captured.

Sentinel goes beyond merely exposing this shared intimacy; it challenges us to question the normalization of digital surveillance in our society. By blurring the lines between the observer and the observed, the project invites profound reflection on the boundaries between privacy, convenience, and control. In a world where the distinction between personal and public spheres is increasingly nebulous, Sentinel raises crucial questions about our collective complacency in the face of an omnipresent digital gaze.

This immersive exploration not only documents a decade of digital interaction but also serves as a mirror to our society, prompting us to reconsider our relationship with technology and the implications of our digital dependencies.