Embodying Data, Shifting Perspective: A Conversation with Ahnjili Zhuparris on Future Wake

Abstract

This chapter discusses the artistic project Future Wake (2021) by Ahnjili Zhuparris and Tim van Ommeren that examines predictive policing. By shifting the focus from possible future crime offenders to possible future victims of fatal police encounters, using visual and affective means rather than expert knowledge and statistics, the artwork activates critical reflection on the politics and logics of predictive policing systems. The chapter first situates predictive policing in a context of securitization, and discusses how it enhances structures of discrimination. In the second part, Wevers interviews artist Zhuparris about the aims of Future Wake, discussing the artistic and technical process of creating the project, the politics of data, and the role of art in critical discussion on surveillance and AI.