What is a panopticon?

A panopticon is a type of building whose architecture facilitates effortless central control. It was first designed in the 18th century, originally for prisons and asylums, but the principle was also used for hospitals, army camps, zoological gardens, schools and museums.

From the 19th century, “panopticon” became synonymous with places where ‘oddities’ were exhibited, alive or as wax models: criminals and madmen, but also freaks of nature, people ‘of different race’, and exotic animals.