Photography by Zaire Aranguren (@zairephoto). Image courtesy of The Bass, Miami Beach.
THE BASS X BAKEHOUSE ART COMPLEX WINDOWS PROJECT
Located at 23rd Street and Collins Avenue in the Walgreens storefront.
PrincessCam Dreamland is a site-specific installation by interdisciplinary artist Fabiola Larios that functions as a social experiment that probes the boundaries of privacy, consent, and voyeurism in the digital age. Using glitter, gemstones, LED lights, and other “girly” aesthetics, Larios investigates surveillance culture through the lens of whimsy and nostalgia.
For the installation, Larios has repurposed the seemingly innocuous elements of several CRT “Princess” TV monitors and bedazzled analog surveillance cameras. The monitors, which are connected to the surveillance cameras, show a feed of happenings as they occur just outside the windows. This setup engages passersby with a live, unrecorded glimpse of themselves and their surroundings, reflecting the present without capturing it. Adjacent to this display, Larios features laser-cut wood letters with glitter with the message: There is someone always watching. The sparkly sign invites viewers to ponder the omnipresence of surveillance in their lives through the contemporary reality of constant observation.
In the artist’s words:
“This installation serves as an allegory for the pervasive gaze under which society finds itself. The bedazzled camera, devoid of its traditional function to record and store, instead broadcasts live footage to the vintage TVs, challenging the audience to confront the realities of surveillance, without the consequences of permanence. It's a playful commentary on our collective discomfort and fascination with being watched, inviting participants to engage with the idea of surveillance as a constant yet unseen presence in our lives.”
Together, the components of the installation create a dialogue between the light-hearted and the profound, between the visible and the implied. They serve not just as a decorative feature, but as a poignant reminder of the installation's core exploration: the duality of being watched as both a comforting and intrusive experience. PrincessCam Dreamland invites onlookers to reflect on the complexity of surveillance, privacy, and visibility in a world where the line between watching and being watched is continually blurred.
By transforming the act of surveillance into an ephemeral experience, Larios prompts passersby to reflect on the transient nature of observation and the uncertain and continuously shifting nature of privacy. The installation beckons viewers to question the role of surveillance technologies in our public and private spheres, juxtaposing the innocence of its components with the complexity of its subject matter.
*No one is being recorded for the purposes of this art installation.
About the artist
Fabiola Larios (b. 1986, Tampico, Mexico) is a Mexican interdisciplinary artist based in Miami, Florida, and currently in residence at Bakehouse Art Complex. Her work focuses on probing the convergence of technology, identity, and representation in the digital age. In 2021, she received the Jovenes Creadores grant in the category of New Technologies from Mexico’s Ministry of Culture. Larios has participated in several group exhibitions in the US and abroad, including the immersive installation Sea Change at the Pérez Art Museum Miami.
About The Bass x Bakehouse Art Complex Windows Project
The Walgreens Windows Project is a collaboration between The Bass and Bakehouse. Featuring site-specific projects by emerging and local artists on a rotating basis, the projects represent the shared missions of the Miami-based arts organizations to support art that engages, challenges, and educates. The project is supported by Walgreens.
About The Bass
The Bass is Miami Beach’s contemporary art museum. Focusing on exhibitions of international contemporary art, The Bass presents mid-career and established artists reflecting the spirit and international character of Miami Beach. The Bass seeks to expand the interpretation of contemporary art by incorporating disciplines of contemporary culture, such as design, fashion, and architecture, into the exhibition program. The exhibition program encompasses a wide range of media and artistic points of view that bring new thought to the diverse cultural context of Miami Beach.
