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testimony of an image
by Jan Maher, 2026

The work „testimony of an image“ presents the process of image archeology. The entire project is based on various methods of image analysis, which are outlined in individual sections of the work.

At the heart of the project is a live feed from a camera that initially captures an unknown street in its field of view. The live feed was found on a website that openly provides visitors with a vast archive of various cameras.

While some of these are public live streams, the site primarily features cameras that are privately owned and often stream their content publicly without the owner’s knowledge. Some are displayed on the website due to poor security or other errors (such as outdated software). This makes the devices vulnerable, and their private streams appear publicly on the aforementioned site.

„testimony of an image“ focuses on one such camera, which, according to the GPS data provided by the website, is located in Plzeň. However, the site warns that the given location is only approximate and may differ by hundreds of kilometers.

The aim of the project was to localize this camera using various methods and to document and present the entire process of image archeology. The research involves collecting digital data hidden within the live feed, using it to gather a wealth of information that aids in the geolocation of the scene. It also employs additional Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) methods.

The work consists of two parts: a physical installation that serves as proof of the final discovery of the location, and a website that presents the entire process and all the methods of image archaeology used to find the scene.

>testimony of an image

>Part_01

#4 – Finding the scene

testimony of an image

#4 – Finding the scene

janmaher.

>satellite image of the scene on Google Maps, screenshot - author's archive

 Testimony of an image
 part_04

#4 – Finding the scene

After filtering the entire city area using the aforementioned methods, only a few city districts remained to be searched. The final clue was a municipal decree banning the placement of trash bins in public spaces in certain parts of the city. After obtaining information about the waste management decree and combining it with the previously mentioned points, only one city district remained.

>4.1 - Final discovery - Self-portrait
>4.2 - Photodocumentation of the scene

At this point, I just combined the sketch with the determined street orientation and used Google Maps satellite images to find the corresponding location. After a short time i successfully found the scene.

>4.1 – Final discovery - Self-portrait

After locating the scene, I traveled to the site. The self-portrait, captured as a screenshot using the camera interface, becomes the focal point of the entire final installation of the project. Here, the self-portrait serves as direct proof of the scene’s discovery.

>self-portrait using the camera interface, screenshot - author's archive

>4.2 – Photodocumentation of the scene
The final part of the project is the photo documentation – pictures taken directly from the discovered location. The photographs capture individual points of the scene that served as key reference points for geolocating the place during the creation of the work. In this sense, the photographs function as proof of the scene’s existence and its discovery.

>photographs of the individual points I used as reference points, author's archive