More than a selfie surface. In Baseera Khan’s “Privacy Control,” a two-way mirror

More than a selfie surface. In Baseera Khan’s “Privacy Control,” a two-way mirror divides the seen and unseen, creating a metaphor for observation and interrogation in society.

Mirrors like these are associated with stereotypical interrogation scenes from procedural TV shows. They are also commonly used to separate gendered prayer halls in mosques, where women can look out, but remain unseen by men.

Our privacy is a fragile concept that is in question with the rise of technology. By photographing ourselves standing in front of the two-way mirror, we play a part in the tracking and surveillance inherent to smartphones. Combined with the English excerpts of the Qur’an, which Khan altered to remove racialized and gendered associations from the English translation, we are left to question the implications—both positive and negative—of visibility.

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