SOLARIS
Solaris was a state surveillance software developed to identify civilians at risk of heatstroke.
Originally presented as a preventive public health tool, Solaris repurposed obsolete maritime sensors designed for target acquisition, integrating facial recognition with live thermography. Field tests were conducted on the beaches of Salvador, Bahia, to profile individuals at risk, specifically targeting informal street vendors identified as socioeconomically vulnerable.
During these trials, the software’s clinical objective was frequently compromised by its environment: the maritime sensors suffered from thermal saturation, unable to resolve biological signatures against the extreme infrared radiance of the sand. This resulted in persistent optical distortions and anomalous detection markers being anchored in empty noise.
Suspended amid bias and covert surveillance allegations, the Solaris architecture was repurposed for police monitoring, leading to documented misidentifications. Decommissioned units later surfaced as government surplus, acquired by paranormal researchers who interpreted the system’s technical instability and sensor noise as evidence of spectral presence, a phenomenon now recognized as digital pareidolia.
This series serves a digital archaeology of the Solaris archives. By preserving corrupted artifacts, it reveals a machine gaze that, in its attempt to interpret human heat, exposes the shortcomings of a tropical panopticon.