Is there a thin line between art and perversion? Some New York City residents might say yes after learning that photographer Arne Svenson had been taking secret photos of them through their windows. Svenson took photos of residents of a luxury building in Tribeca and is now showing them in an exhibition titled The Neighbors at the Julie Saul Gallery.

In a statement to the NY Post, Svenson had this to say: "The neighbors don’t know they are being photographed; I carefully shoot from the shadows of my home into theirs. I am not unlike the birder, quietly waiting for hours, watching for the flutter of a hand or a movement of a curtain as an indication that there is life within.”

The uninformed subjects of Svenson's gaze are not happy. While he equates his actions to "birdwatching," some residents are considering legal action (which may or may not fly because Svenson didn't photograph their faces). Should the case go to trial, things could get interesting for the future of photography and the privacy laws.

[via PetaPixel]