“In my work many of the subject-object relationships are controlling and oppressive. I am starting to become interested in those relations where it’s not clear which side you’d rather stand on. One work that feeds into this idea is Observer (2016). Observation is something that can happen with a whole range of intentions, and it can happen within a trustful relationship.”

—Julia Phillips

With its adjustable ceramic “gaze” mounted to a stainless-steel support, Observer II resembles publicly accessible binoculars commonly found at tourist destinations. Each end of the double-sided viewfinder features fleshy glazing, suggesting that looking at or observing someone is not a passive or one-sided engagement, but rather an act that implicates both the viewer and the viewed.

Partly inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window, the sculpture questions the responsibility inherent in the act of observing, whether in an intimate situation or an anonymous one, like lurking on social media.