Making Visible the Act of Watching: Artistic Resistance in the Face of Psychological Violence I

Abstract

This study looks at a selection of artistic texts that serve as testimony to what is called “workplace harassment,” “mobbing,” or “workplace bullying.” This is the first part of a three-part series relating to harassment and also to the transformation that comes out of artistic communication. First, I establish a general approach in order to situate a number of artistic resistance works created during the process of workplace harassment and psychological violence, particularly in relation to surveillance and watching. Then, using the same methodological approach, the subsequent texts explore the topics of isolation and the collective dimension of creation as a means of overcoming situations of violence. Beginning with experiences that involved anonymous messages, along with situations of being watched and symptoms of hyper-watchfulness as a target of harassment, a series of works emerged, mainly as art objects, which take on a greater meaning when examined collectively in connection with a process of harassment.