Join me at 3 pm on Saturday 23rd September 2023 for a walking tour of the heart of London’s hidden tech industry hubs. We’ll delve into corporate tech culture as we photograph and, in turn, surveil the companies that know everything about us but like us to know as little about them as possible… not even where they are.
The tour is a part of the Screen Walks Weekend, a collaboration between Fotomuseum Winterthur in Switzerland and The Photographers’ Gallery. It will begin at the gallery and last 60-90 minutes. Book your free place at The Photographers’ Gallery site.
Some background to the walk: For centuries the area around what is now The Photographers’ Gallery in London’s Soho was synonymous with nightlife. From legendary sites such as Raymond’s Revue Bar to sex shops and peep shows, blackmailers lurked, hoping to snare men visiting prostitutes or hooking up with other men – all while corrupt Metropolitan vice squad officers both patrolled the area and accepted bribes to ignore its activities.
While dildos are still widely available and the Met is still crooked, in the 21st century the area has become the unexpected home to tech giants like Google, Cambridge Analytica and Palantir. Purveyors on a global scale of amorality and social division, they also play a part in the diagonalist journey of many online communities (perhaps including your cousin or a celebrity you used to respect) from harmless centrist clout chasers to radicalised right-wing propagandists.
Alistair Gentry 