Computer Vision

Filmmaker Camilo Salas embarks on a journey to explore the pervasive world of surveillance in New York City. Guided by a local organization, he uncovers the flaws of constant monitoring in public and private spaces, investigates how politicians address the issue, and uses art as a powerful tool of resistance in a society shaped by surveillance.

  • Camilo Salas
    Director
  • Camilo Salas
    Writer
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Experimental, Short, Student
  • Runtime:
    39 minutes 45 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 14, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    8,642 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States, Chile
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English, Spanish
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Hunter College
Director Biography - Camilo Salas

Camilo Salas (Santiago, 1983) is a New York City-based Chilean Multi-Disciplinary Artist, Filmmaker, and Journalist.

At age 19, he co-created the web magazine Disorder.cl. After getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, he explored various topics and genres, from politics and culture to music, in various print and digital outlets in Chile.

Since moving to the US in 2013, Camilo’s practice has explored technology, surveillance, and society. His work often reflects on our role in confronting and resisting the surveillance systems shaping contemporary life. Through his explorations, he seeks to provoke questions about freedom, autonomy, and the ethics of AI-driven oversight.

He has participated in group exhibitions, including Jukebox of Dissonance (2024), Prismas Project in Sao Paulo and Brooklyn (2024), and Novelty1 (2024), among others. In 2024, he was a resident artist at Woodward Residency in Brooklyn, NY.

As a Filmmaker, he has done one 6-minute short film called "A Socialist Dream," which portrayed the free bus program run by New York City in 2023. It was selected for the CUNY Film Festival.

He currently runs Pan Flute Publishing Haus and teaches at the Film & Media Department of Hunter College (CUNY).

As of June 2023 he is an MFA Student in the Integrated Media Arts program, at Hunter College.

He lives in Bushwick, Brooklyn.

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Director Statement

Computer Vision is a deeply personal project born from my daily life in New York City—a city where surveillance is everywhere and so intertwined with the fabric of public and private spaces that tensions are starting to arise.

This documentary reflects my exploration of how facial recognition and constant monitoring impact our freedoms and privacy while also examining how art can serve as a form of resistance. With the guidance of the local organization S.T.O.P., insights from artists, and research on how local politicians are addressing these issues, I’ve sought to create something that is both a critique and a creative response to living in a society shaped by surveillance.

Through this project, I hope to inspire audiences to question their relationship with surveillance and imagine new ways to resist systems that feel unavoidable.