Transparency and spetacle in O Olho da rua, by Eliane Brum

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the book O Olho da Rua (The Eye of the Street), written in 2007 by Eliane Brum, based on a discussion about the chronicle-reports “Casa dos Velhos” and “Um país chamado Brasilândia”. Composed of texts made from reports carried out over a decade, the book written by the Brazilian writer born in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, moves between a chronicle, a report and an essay, exploring the experiences of real characters in several Brazilian regions. The author, together with photographers, recorded the dilemmas, pains, and discoveries of individuals linked to a specific space, while also reflecting over her own personal journey. The analysis proposed here seeks to engage in a dialog with theorists such as Antonio Candido, Walter Benjamin, Byung-Chul Han and Paula Sibilia, highlighting the convergence points between Brum's chronicle-report and the concepts of the “society of transparency” and the “spectacle of intimacy” by Han and Sibilia, respectively. The analysis focuses on the pressure due to constant exposure and the negative effects of the standardization of individual experiences. Brum's chronicle-reports highlight the importance of rethinking the limits of privacy and the ethics of representation in the era of the spectacle culture.