“We imagine going to the moon and planting a flag, going to an asteroid and mining, going to Mars and setting up a colony. And I think that expansionist mentality is very self-destructive, especially given the kind of precarious relationship we now have to the ecosystem here on Earth, because it allows us to imagine that Earth is disposable.”

American artist, geographer, and author

Trevor Paglen is an American artist, geographer, and author known for work that examines mass surveillance and data collection. His practice brings together art and research, with an interest in the hidden systems that shape how information is gathered, stored, and watched. He writes and makes work around these themes, focusing on the structures behind surveillance rather than their public surface.