Too busy to conduct a relationship Laurie Long set out to combine her quest for romance with her career as an artist.  The Dating Surveillance project is a collection of film and video stills recorded by and featuring the American artist during a series of dates. 

Each date resembles a form of espionage or investigative mission. Her polished outfits are her disguise, her best behaviour is a constructed persona, and her carefully contrived questions are her means to cross-examine her subject. Armed with a secret miniature camera and a concealed microphone, Long recorded her dates.
 
Long’s work reminds us of the interrogative nature of dating culture. The project enables us to explore the artificial environment for interaction in which we try to lure a mate. Moreover, Long encourages us to question who we like to think we are and why we try to present a better version of ourselves to others.

Laurie Long  –  Dating Surveillance Project
 7 JANUARY - 19 FEBRUARY 2006
BCA Gallery
Bedford
01234 273580