City TV (Berlin) #96/16 Possibly 1997 - 2009

This photograph, City TV (Berlin) #96/16, by Frank Thiel, captures a security camera almost engulfed in foliage. The palette here is muted, verdant greens and browns, like nature reclaiming the machine. I’m struck by the contrast between the organic forms of the leaves and the rigid geometry of the camera. Look how the ivy creeps over the surface, softening the edges, blurring the line between technology and nature. It reminds me that even the most sterile objects are subject to decay and entropy. I like to think about how it feels to experience this process in a real place. Thiel's composition invites us to contemplate the act of surveillance itself. Is the camera watching us, or is it being watched? Who gets to watch who? The image remains ambiguous, a testament to the power of art to raise questions rather than provide answers. It puts me in mind of some of Jeff Wall’s early experiments with staged photography, where the everyday becomes extraordinary through careful attention to detail and composition.