Described as one of the most effective and repressive intelligence and secret police agencies ever to have existed. A close partner of the KGB – it was run by Erich Mielke for 32 of its 40 years existence (Feb. 1950-Jan. 1990).

Its main function was to spy on its citizens, which it did successfully by turning them into its own informants. An estimated 250,000 people were held as political prisoners during its existence.

Numerous Stasi officials were prosecuted for their crimes in 1990. After German reunification, the surveillance files held on millions of citizens were opened. One billion sheets of paper were destroyed in its last days. Lost forever. The majority, when opening their files, would find out that those who spied and betrayed them, were often than not, those closest to them – partners, neighbours and even family.

The effects of the citizens mental health was and still is devastating. Trust is not there. Isolation is chosen as the safety option. The loss, to both the individual and the broader culture, can last decades. Living under the Stasi was a collective experience, yet the traumas inflicted were deeply personal. This collection looks at sections of the public who are informers. Those being spied on and those living in fear and paranoia. The viewer can decide who is who.