Sonya Stereostyrski
Guests from the Future
2026
Installation
Courtesy of the author
‘Guests from the Future’ is an installation that recreates a security guard’s workplace at a contemporary art museum. Screens above the desk display footage from CCTV cameras. However, the visitors in these recordings are far from human – alien beings roam the museum halls. Although the museum staff in the videos are all human. The viewer finds themselves in the security guard’s place in front of a multitude of screens, transforming from an exhibition visitor into an invisible observer.
In 1787 the English rationalist philosopher Jeremy Bentham went to the city of Krichev (modern-day Belarus) and wrote letters to a friend in England. Bentham described a perfectly designed panopticon – a space in which many are observed by a single guard. Museum video security systems partially implement the panopticon principle: museum visitors simultaneously observe and are observed.
seums have long been viewed by theorists as a special ritual space, akin to a temple. The installation "Guests from the Future" highlights the ritualistic nature of the museum experience, emphasizing its normativity. The alien visitors seem to be trying to follow all the accepted rules, but from time to time they enter the walls or can suddenly change appearance. Meanwhile, the staff remains unperturbed. The museum proves to be a solid structure, and its rituals are not disrupted even by the presence of absolute otherness.
Museums have long been viewed by theorists as a special ritual space, akin to a temple. The installation ‘Guests from the Future’ highlights the ritualistic nature of the museum experience, emphasising its normativity. The alien visitors seem to be trying to follow all the accepted rules, but from time to time they walk into walls or suddenly change their appearance. Nonetheless the museum employees remain unperturbed. The museum proves to be a solid structure and its rituals are not disrupted, even by the presence of absolute otherness.
The aliens in this installation appear not as conquerors or monsters, but as culturally preoccupied beings, peacefully observing the exhibition. This is a positive signal: otherness is not aggressive; it seeks to touch our (earthly) art and understand it. Taking the place of a security guard, the viewer looks through surveillance screens not at the exhibits on display, but at the visitors. They are the true works of art. And they’re magnificent!
At the same time, the viewer doesn't forget (or rather, remembers!) that while they're examining the imaginary workplace of the imaginary guard, they, the viewers, are being vigilantly watched by a real museum security guard, monitoring visitors through a genuine, not phantasmagorical, surveillance system.At the same time, the viewer doesn't forget (or rather, remembers!) that while they're examining the imaginary seat of the imaginary guard, they, the viewer, are being vigilantly watched by a real museum security guard, monitoring visitors through a genuine, not phantasmagorical, surveillance system.
Sonya Stereostyrski
