NCM is situated on the lands of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people. We pay respects to them, especially their Elders and storytellers, as well as all First Peoples, nationwide. NCM acknowledges that communication technologies have a long history here, far longer than European occupation.

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Instruments of Surveillance

Ground floor • 21 Sep 2024 - 02 Mar 2025

Included with museum entry

As the race to create an artificial general intelligence (AGI) accelerates, questions of surveillance are more important than ever. Is it human or machine? And how can people equip themselves with the tools and knowledge they need to navigate technological futures?

Instruments of Surveillance grounds an age-old and contentious topic in the human and the everyday. From government spooks, data-extraction and activism through to generative AI, this exhibition unravels the interface between human and machine, inviting audiences to unpack the technologies that people use to surveil and their role in it.

Interact with a robotic commission by Louis-Philippe Demers. See an original WWII Enigma Machine, along with wiretaps and prototypes from the Australian Federal Police. Engage with commissions by Leah Heiss and Emma Luke, Kate Crawford, Aram Bartholl and Weniki Hensch among others.

This exhibition is curated by NCM in collaboration with Dr. Tyne Sumner, current ARC DECRA fellow at the Australian National University.

"There are two problems with the new surveillance technologies. One is that they don’t work. The other is that they do." Anonymous