Panopticon

      The Panopticon is a building or room that is circular where one person can view and observe everything going on inside it. The meaning of Panopticon is, all (pan-) to observe (- opticon). The designer, Jeremy Bentham, felt this type of building would be perfect for prisons where there would be a central tower in the middle to watch the prisoners. Even though one person could never watch all the prisoners at one time, the prisoners could not see if there was anyone in the tower and believed they were being watched. Bentham felt society should function the same. People should believe that they could be surveilled anytime and anywhere. With new technology, a person’s movements are able to be tracked throughout the day by cell phones, internet, credit cards, etc.

        This type of circular structure is not only effective in prisons, but hospitals, schools, daycares, auditoriums and sports. In society today we are always being observed. As Michel Foucault stated, “We now live in the panoptic machine”. Just as in wrestling the ring is set up with this in mind. Performers compete in a ring that is surrounded by an audience. They must perform a show and project their fight throughout the audience. All this is like the ancient Greek and Roman coliseums and theaters. The stage is in the middle and the building is set up so the acoustics can extend throughout the audience.