Trevor Paglen: Code Names

With his video installation “Code Names of the Surveillance State” New York-based artist Trevor Paglen creates endlessly scrolling column of words onto public buildings.

“Code Names of the Surveillance State,” is a video installation composed from more than 4,000 National Security Agency (NSA) and Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) surveillance program code names.

Projected onto public buildings as an endlessly scrolling column, the code names are deliberately nonsensical, often droll and sardonic words or short phrases without discernable connection to the programs they designate.

“Bacon Ridge” – for example – is an NSA installation in Texas, “Fox Acid” an NSA-controlled Internet server designed to inject malware into unsuspecting web browsers, and “Mystic” a program to collect every phone call from the Bahamas.