Security practices defy easy representation. How can (in)security be visualized? This selection of AI renderings and photos taken on fieldwork attempts to make the politics of (urban) security visible.

Midjourney: Artificial Intelligence is imagining how police research and urban security might look like. Renderings from mid-2023.

Montevideo: In the capital of Uruguay, crime and homicide rates are rapidly increasing and private security solutions abound. A strong sentiment of personal insecurity developed among the citizenry in recent years, and also political debates became highly polarized. In the meantime, profound police and justice reforms created a considerably more sophisticated, accountable and technology-oriented public security system. Pictures taken in late 2018.

Cape Flats: Southeast of Cape Town’s central business district, Apartheid-era townships house hundred of thousands urban dwellers. The poverty stricken communities live with poor access to basic infrastructures – water, electricity, transportation, education, health -, and struggle with pervasive gang violence. Photos taken during ETH Zürich Winter School in early 2018.

Kathmandu: The sprawling Nepali capital faces tremendous challenges in terms of water and electricity supply, structural building resilience and road security. It also features a poorly equipped and trained security apparatus, defunct security technologies, and an ineffective and highly politicized public administration. The photos and interviews were recorded in fall 2017.

Marrakech: The Moroccan city is secured by different strategies, ranging from high-tech governmental surveillance along New Town avenues, and strong police presence in public space to low-tech and plain cloth security personnel in the Médina. The images shown were taken during fieldwork in late 2016-early 2017.