Window of the World

"Window of the World" is a theme park located in Shenzhen, China, a city that is now becoming famous for another kind of specularity. As The New York Times reports in "In China, a High-Tech Plan to Track People" and "A Chinese Tycoon, Inspired to Create Police Technology," business opportunities that take advantage of surveillance imaging and augmented reality technology have been put in the service of authoritarian state interests, thereby generating profits for private firms. China Public Security is a company that advertises its services to the public on a website strangely featuring laughing blonde women.

Ironically, some of the same technology now being considered for monitoring the Chinese public for residency violations, criminality, subversive activities, and dissident behavior has also been proposed for theme park installations. Designers know that RFID devices and facial recognition technology can allow for new ways to manage a vistor's experience of a given themed environment, so that licensed characters address you personally and story elements are revealed as part of a more satisfying drama of the day's activities.