THE EYE
-Unveiling the Panopticon of Big Data
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This project aspires to ignite a collective realization of the profound changes in our society due to the data-driven information revolution. It challenges individuals to consider the implications of data transparency, surveillance, and the power of technology companies in shaping our lives and behaviours.
Master Architecture Thesis Studio 2023
Supervisor: Flix McNamara
Each level's center is hollow, forming a massive atrium where natural light filters from the building's roof to illuminate every level. Surrounding the atrium is the area designed for visitors, or what can be termed as a modern "sweat factory." Unlike traditional physical labor, this factory demands intellectual labor, aimed at extracting data and information from the human brain. As all the physiological energy is channelled into the brain, it must not impose burdens on other physiological organs, such as requiring extensive muscular activities. Thus, each level's design caters to extreme physiological comfort, equipped with 24-hour bedrooms, unlimited food and drinks, ubiquitous format sofas and recliners, and storage stations for various peripherals. While physiological desires are greatly satisfied, individuals develop a dependency on this "paradise" and become unwilling to leave this comfortable place.
“Today’s society is no longer Foucault’s disciplinary world of hospitals, madhouses, prisons, barracks, and factories. It has long been replaced by another regime, namely a society of fitness studios, office towers, banks, airports, shopping malls, and genetic laboratories.”
-Byung-Chul Han, The Burnout Society