Switzerland is generally regarded as one of the safest countries in the world – and as exemplary in terms of efficiency and productivity. But how do state and private actors ensure this valuable commodity, which is as much a basic need as a billion-dollar business? And how much freedom are we as citizens willing to give up for our security? Resulting from a visual research project carried out over several years, Salvatore Vitale (born 1986 in Palermo, living in Lugano and Zurich) investigates the mechanisms underlying this preventive and defensive shield. He takes a close look at the various protagonists involved – police, military, customs and migration authorities, weather services, IT companies and research institutions for robotics and artificial intelligence. With photographs as well as data analysis and a sensor-based installation, the exhibition makes it possible to experience the sometimes hidden and often abstract creation of security in a tangible way. It sees itself as a contemporaneous artistic contribution to the debate in a society that is confronted with growing threats – real or perceived – from terrorism and cybercrime, surveillance and data misuse. Fotostiftung Schweiz presents the first comprehensive exhibition of this work by the Swiss artist of Italian descent.