The immersive installation is the result of the artist’s research residency in Baku and consists of a central piece of a surveillance tower that overlooks its surroundings with its cyclopic eye. The Panopticon observes everything and also reflects our presence as curious intruders or witnesses. François’ construction takes its inspiration from the architectural model of an institutional prison control system invented by social theorist and philosopher Jeremy Bentham in the 18^th Century. By replacing the round control room’s windows with mirrors, the artist reverses the strategic purpose of the tower. In this way, François’ work can be understood as a cynical critique of today’s society, contaminated by the abuse of controlling devices that steal and rob images of our private lives. The tower also reflects the objects that fill the setting around it. The rest of the sculptural interventions are presented as frozen moments on an abandoned filmset.

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