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Update: Landscape Painting as Counter-Surveillance of Area 51

http://cadre.sjsu.edu/area210
landscape painting as counter-surveillance of Area 51
-sjsu cadre institute-

As you may know, on April 25th 1997 a team of twenty artists from San
Jose State Universityís CADRE institute (Computers in Art and
Design/Research and Education) coordinated by Professor Joel Slayton
staged a site specific work addressing surveillance, conspiracy theory
and art at the perimeter entrance to Groom Lake.  The project is
currently on exhibition at the Area 51 Research Center in Rachel, Nevada
and contextualized on the internet.

Project summary:  The strategy was to stage a conceptually based site
work utilizing landscape painting as an action of counter-surveillance.
The artists arrived by caravan along a dirt road entrance to Groom Lake
and under constant surveillance by camo-dudes using high focal length
binoculars, what was clearly sound surveillance and some very wierd
electronics aimed at. Pre-prepared easels and canvases were transported
to a bluff overlook fifty meters from the actual perimeter. Artists were
positioned in a row perpendicular to the perimeter providing for a
direct view into Area 51. Over a period of five hours individual
paintings of the selected motif were realize with no intervention from
the camo-dudes. Although, a very silent black helicopter circled
overhead for some time a low altitude. The final  installation of easels
and paintings were positioned as a sculptural manifestation atop the
bluff. The site was documented and then transported to the Area 51
Research Center where they are on display and for sale with 51% of all
proceeds going to the Research Center. A feature video documentary of
the event is being produced encompassing all elements leading,
comprising of the artwork and continued contextualization and fallout
from our provocation.

Interesting Updates: The project web site http://cadre.sjsu.edu/area210
includes documentation on Professor Slayton's connection with the CIA,
an analysis of the Michael Hezier, a reknown american modern artist,
secret compound adjancent to
Area 51, documentation of helicopter surveillance, resultes of a message
spam of Nellis Airforce Base personell and much more. The site also
support project documentation and ordering information for the paintings
(significant artifacts of the conspiracty/surveillance surrounding area
Area 51).  Art is a good investment and this is the best kind of art in
that regard. (see ZOE below)

Problems with the FBI.  In early June the FBI contacted San Jose State
University Office of Computing and Information Systems seeking
clarification of the project as it relates to Area 51 and Nellis
Airforce Base. At issue was the fact that one of our group had obtained
an email list for Nellis AFB, including all military officers. The email
list was used in a spam marketing strategy to direclty inform
as many individuals at Nellis AFB about our project, intentions and the
paintings for sale. The FBI was also interested about our future
intentions regarding exploration of Nellis AFB and Area 51 (which they
mentioned by name). It was conveyed that the project would continue to
evolve, based upon involvment and stimulus of interest, such as theirs,
and that it was impossible to predict the final outcome.  At some
length, the function of conceptual art was explored.

Subsequent Surveillance:  Joel Slayton reported to the project group
that a black four door sedan with two individuals using cell phones was
repeatedly parked outside of his house on serveral occasions during the
next week. At the end of June Mr. Slayton was notified by the IRS of its
intention to audit his tax returns for explication of deductions
pertaining to his professional activities as an artist.

Michael Heizer in duress:  In another development, an attorney for
Michael Heizer, who owns property adjacent to Area 51 and who has been
producing a highly secrative land work there, contacted San Jose State
University demanding cessation of any references to him on the project
Web site. Several members of the project group had tresspassed on his
property seeking Mr. Heizer for a personal interview and were now being
threatened with prosecution unless his demands were met. It was
indicated that Mr. Heizer was suffering from severe psychological duress
as a result of investigation of him and alleged conceptual correlations
of his professional work as an artist with Area 51. This apparently
disturbed him greatly. He was also very
upset that a map to his secret compound was published by our site.
Although we sympathize with Mr. Heizer's desire for autonomy, the fact
is he is a well known public figure in the arts and is not therefore
exempt from analysis or parody.
He may not like at all the correlations that were made about him and his
work, but that is the function of critical discourse in the arts and is
a serious function of art itself. That his role is heightened, without
his permission, in the phenomena associated with Area 51 exemplifies the
nature of conspiracty theory and information strategy addressed by this
project. This in no way disputes that his property was tresspassed.

This legal dispute has not as yet been resolved.  The issue escalated
beyond San Jose State University to legal representation by California
State Univerisity Chancellors Office. They are now exploring first
admendment rights as they relate to issues of privacy, identity and
art-of-the-internet.

Summary: Landscape Painting as Counter-Surveillance of Area 51 will
continue to evolve. A documentary produced for French Television aired
in July and featuring the project and the artists involved.  Oneof our
entourage, ZOE, a 3 year old female protege artist, was featured.  ZOE's
work was the first painting from the exhibition purchased on-line by a
Stanford University affilicated research scientist. Because of the high
visiblity of this project, this painting is now valued at over $3000.
Should you buy a painting?

Landscape Painting as Counter-Surveillance of Area 51 will be included
in a forth coming book examining the phenemona of surviellance in
contemporary culture and Area 51 by Phil Patton.

For information contact:
area210@cadre.sjsu.edu


Index: Area 51 in Popular Culture