Anthony Carr
Operation Barbican
'Operation Barbican' is a series of grainy black and white photographs and the result of collaboration between the artist Anthony Carr and anonymous witnesses. Taken amongst the sprawling labyrinth of concrete walkways and interiors of the Barbican Centre, the original photographs were deliberately shot in a pseudo-surveillance style. Visitors to the Barbican Library were then given the opportunity to assume the role of police detective, treating the photographs as potential clues in an investigation. By utilising the magnifying capabilities of the library’s CCTV machine (a piece of equipment developed for the visually impaired), participants were invited to view and scrutinise the images: highlighting, crossing out and marking the material in red as they saw fit. Slowly, the photographs became not only a visual diary of the thought processes of those involved but also potential evidence of an unknown crime. The artist then sifted through this ‘evidence’, enlarging, and encircling a selection of the most provocative suggestions, blurring out all extraneous details.