A brand new series of photographs will be unveiled at the National Media Museum as part of the launch of its summer family experience In Your Face on Saturday 23 July 2016.
The series, titled Cloud Face, was commissioned by the museum from Seoul-based artist duo Shinseungback Kimyonghun. The works reveal depictions of faces in cloud formations above Bradford city centre, which were detected by facial recognition software over a four-week period. The clouds were photographed by a CCTV camera installed on the National Media Museum’s roof, which linked via the internet to bespoke technology operated by the artists in South Korea.
There will be 27 images displayed together as a single artwork in the In Your Face gallery. John O’Shea, Senior Exhibitions Manager at the National Media Museum, said:
“Our summer family exhibition takes a closer look at our fascination with faces. The Cloud Face project responds to the way that humans often think we see the basic shapes of eyes, nose and mouth in the world around us. In this project, it is a computer which is looking for faces in clouds. This is just one of the many displays, activities and experiments we will be revealing at the launch event on Saturday, 23 July.”
Artist Kim Yong Hun added:
“Cloud Face is a collection of cloud images that have been recognised as faces by computer vision. Among the hundreds of cloud faces collected over the past month, a selection of 27 images will be shown at the exhibition. The project has been realised by our remote work in Seoul and the great support of National Media Museum staff in Bradford.”
The works are due to be unveiled at the In Your Face launch party which takes place from 10.00–16.00 on Saturday 23 July 2016. The event is free and open to all. In addition to seeing Cloud Face, guests and visitors will be among the first to take part in fun challenges and experiments which explore the most photographed, examined, and expressive part of the human body.
More faces than ever before—of all shapes, sizes and colours—are seen around the world on a daily basis; in newspapers, magazines, social media, advertising, film, and on websites and television. In Your Face looks at this fascination with faces and portraits, and gives visitors the chance to experience more than 20 exhibits and activities: they can see what their own faces look like when heading a football in the Hit It! installation by artist Leo Schatzl, find out about the latest facial recognition technology being deployed by police, and, of course, enjoy plenty of opportunities for selfies.
At the launch there will be exclusive games, giveaways, photographic portrait sessions, live music and more as the museum asks people to think again about ‘how you see the world and how the world sees you’.
The exhibition also partners Changing Faces, a charity which promotes ‘face equality’ and works to eliminate discrimination based on physical appearance. This partnership looks in particular at issues experienced by young people with facial disfigurements.
ENDS
Notes for editors
Changing Faces is the national charity that helps people who have a disfigurement find a way to live the life they want. They are caring campaigners, providing support and a national Skin Camouflage Service to clients, while advocating and campaigning for face equality and an end to discrimination. For more information visit changingfaces.org.uk or call 0345 450 0275.
