The Professor and the Eye at the Back of His Head

They say you get out of your art what you are willing to give up for it.

Wafaa Bilal is an assistant professor of photography at NYU-Tish and he had a camera implanted at the back of his head.

While this all sounds terribly spy-ish or pre-Terminator-ish, the project project (called "The 3rd I") is supposed to be "a comment on the inaccessibility of time, and the inability to capture memory and experience". According to Professor Bilal, it "arises from a need to objectively capture my past as it slips behind me from a non-confrontational point of view".

In other words, it's perfect for finding out want went on behind his back, where the more interesting things usually happen.

This year-long project allows visitors of the Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in Qatar to see live stream of pictures captured behind Prof. Bilal's head. It is one of the inaugural exhibits of the Mathaf.

With this comes that battle of creative expression and privacy. Since Prof. Bilal is an active professor, his camera will be able to capture student activity behind his back.

I wonder though if this has any effect on class performance and student behavior. I remember hearing talks about installing surveillance cameras in UP Law a few years ago, but I don't think they ever pushed through. Unless, of course, there are already surveillance cameras we do not know of.

At the moment though, Professor Bilal had his 3rd I removed because of the pain it was causing him. His body rejected part of the device and the discomfort could not be managed with steroids and antibiotics. I do hope that our professors at Malcolm Hall are listening.