Likeness and Facial Recognition Research Networking resubmission
Lead Research Organisation:
University College London
Department Name: Museums and Collections
Abstract
The representation and interpretation of facial appearance is an important area for research in both the humanities and the biomedical and life sciences.
Although collaborations between the sciences and fine arts through artist-in-residence programmes have become increasingly common, there has been limited analysis of the outcomes and ideological implications of these projects by academics in the humanities and social sciences. Equally, although the emerging sub-discipline of 'neuro art history' is investigating the use of scientific models in the analysis of images there has not been a specific investigation of the potential of new scientific models of facial recognition in relation to portraiture.
Researchers in the humanities have investigated how facial appearance is understood and represented culturally. In art history these investigations have been linked to historically shifting definitions of 'likeness' in portraiture, and the extent to which facial appearance reflects an inner self. The concept of likeness has been traced through philosophical and psychoanalytical enquiries into the relationship between mind and body, and in relation to 18th- and 19th-century scientific theories of physiognomy, facial expression and facial typing. Despite being seen in the academy as discredited methodologies superseded by new scientific models, these ideas still have considerable currency in popular literature and there is a pressing need to address their legacy in 21st century art and science.
Current scientific research into facial recognition is concerned with the ways that it relates to perception and to neurological patterns, and how particular facial features can aid in the diagnosis of disease. Yet at the same time as facial recognition technologies use facial appearance as evidence, developments in digital facial modification technologies, and advances in plastic surgery destabilise the validity of the use of facial appearance for identification purposes. Nonetheless, these new technologies suggest creative new approaches to the analysis and production of portraits. Contemporary artists have increasingly used portraiture to question traditional assumptions about facial appearance, drawing on new technologies such as digital facial morphing to explore shifting concepts of likeness. These investigations raise the issue of what new models of likeness are being developed for the 21st century. The potential use of these new technologies for surveillance and facial typing also raises ethical questions about their use by artists and scientists, and there is a pressing need to contextualise them within histories and theories of likeness, facial analysis and facial typing.
The research network will investigate the ways in which digital and surgical techniques are creating new models of 'likeness' and the synergies and dissonances of these models with historical definitions of 'likeness' in portraiture, addressing the following research questions:
-What do new discoveries in facial recognition and reconstruction offer to the arts and humanities as means of understanding historical and contemporary models of 'likeness'?
-In what ways can researchers in the arts and humanities help to refine research questions addressed by investigations into facial recognition in the social and bio-medical sciences through their knowledge of the historical contexts for facial image production and analysis?
-How can facial recognition technologies and historical models of 'likeness' account for faces that change through facial disfigurement, ageing and facial expression?
-How have historical models of 'likeness' been used to construct or support particular social and cultural models and advance specific ideological agendas?
-How is 'likeness' defined in the 21st century, to what extent is our understanding of it affected by new digital and surgical technologies, and what emerged ideological agendas can be identified in new research?
Although collaborations between the sciences and fine arts through artist-in-residence programmes have become increasingly common, there has been limited analysis of the outcomes and ideological implications of these projects by academics in the humanities and social sciences. Equally, although the emerging sub-discipline of 'neuro art history' is investigating the use of scientific models in the analysis of images there has not been a specific investigation of the potential of new scientific models of facial recognition in relation to portraiture.
Researchers in the humanities have investigated how facial appearance is understood and represented culturally. In art history these investigations have been linked to historically shifting definitions of 'likeness' in portraiture, and the extent to which facial appearance reflects an inner self. The concept of likeness has been traced through philosophical and psychoanalytical enquiries into the relationship between mind and body, and in relation to 18th- and 19th-century scientific theories of physiognomy, facial expression and facial typing. Despite being seen in the academy as discredited methodologies superseded by new scientific models, these ideas still have considerable currency in popular literature and there is a pressing need to address their legacy in 21st century art and science.
Current scientific research into facial recognition is concerned with the ways that it relates to perception and to neurological patterns, and how particular facial features can aid in the diagnosis of disease. Yet at the same time as facial recognition technologies use facial appearance as evidence, developments in digital facial modification technologies, and advances in plastic surgery destabilise the validity of the use of facial appearance for identification purposes. Nonetheless, these new technologies suggest creative new approaches to the analysis and production of portraits. Contemporary artists have increasingly used portraiture to question traditional assumptions about facial appearance, drawing on new technologies such as digital facial morphing to explore shifting concepts of likeness. These investigations raise the issue of what new models of likeness are being developed for the 21st century. The potential use of these new technologies for surveillance and facial typing also raises ethical questions about their use by artists and scientists, and there is a pressing need to contextualise them within histories and theories of likeness, facial analysis and facial typing.
The research network will investigate the ways in which digital and surgical techniques are creating new models of 'likeness' and the synergies and dissonances of these models with historical definitions of 'likeness' in portraiture, addressing the following research questions:
-What do new discoveries in facial recognition and reconstruction offer to the arts and humanities as means of understanding historical and contemporary models of 'likeness'?
-In what ways can researchers in the arts and humanities help to refine research questions addressed by investigations into facial recognition in the social and bio-medical sciences through their knowledge of the historical contexts for facial image production and analysis?
-How can facial recognition technologies and historical models of 'likeness' account for faces that change through facial disfigurement, ageing and facial expression?
-How have historical models of 'likeness' been used to construct or support particular social and cultural models and advance specific ideological agendas?
-How is 'likeness' defined in the 21st century, to what extent is our understanding of it affected by new digital and surgical technologies, and what emerged ideological agendas can be identified in new research?
Planned Impact
This proposal has impact beyond the academic community embedded in its structure as the workshop participants include academics, museum professionals and artists. The workshops will also lead to a series of public events at the National Portrait Gallery and UCL Art Collections that will disseminate the research outcomes of the workshops to the wider public. The two project partners, UCL Art Collections and the National Portrait Gallery, are institutions that already have an established track record of working with both academic audiences and the wider public through education programmes that engage the public with current research topics in portraiture and fine art through platforms such as gallery talks, lectures and practical workshops
Proposed activities include
-a series of public lectures on the research theme of 'Likeness and Facial Recognition' by participants from the three workshops
-Gallery talks at UCLAC and NPG addressing the themes of the workshops in relation to specific artworks in the two collections
-Practical art workshops for adults, young adults and children where participants investigate the themes of the workshop through practical portraiture exercises led by an artist-educator.
-Workshops for the relevant bodies in the third sector, for example facial disfigurement charities such as Changing Faces.
Engagement and Communication
-Potential beneficiaries such as public audiences have already been engaged by existing public education programmes at the two institutions. Events leaflets, mailouts and website will be used to publicise impact activities to them.
-Impact activities will also be publicised to potential new public audiences through publicity and media networks already established by the two museums .
-Podcasts of some of the public events connected with the research network will be uploaded to the NPG and UCL websites in order to communicate the content in an accessible way via the web and to form a permanent public web resource.
Collaboration
Roles and Responsibilities
-The impact activities will be programmed and managed by Lucy Ribeiro (Learning and Access Manager at the NPG) and the PI (who is responsible for the public programmes at UCL Art Collections). This is an established relationship.
-Administrative support will be provided by the NPG's education department and the Project Assistant
Relationships
-The PI has already established good links with the NPG's public programmes department through participation in planning and delivering content for previous NPG workshops on themes of portraiture and identity
-Both collaborators also have excellent contacts with other London museum education departments and freelance artist educators and it is likely that the collaboration will be extended to include other museums once the research network is set up.
Exploitation and Application
-The outputs from the research will be exploited and protected via a volume of collected papers and a website. Although these outputs are likely to be of most interest to the academic community, their existence in the public domain will also be of benefit to interested members of the wider public.
-A selection of the public talks and lectures will be made available as edited podcasts providing more informal access to the research outcomes of the workshops.
Capability
-The PI will programme the impact activities in collaboration with the NPG's education department.
-The PI is currently responsible for public programmes at UCL art collections and has substantial knowledge and experience of the organisational and publicity mechanisms for programming and delivering public events.
-The NPG education department has a strong track record of programming public activities and has excellent resources and specialised staff to achieve the impact activities.
Resources
Impact activities will p
Proposed activities include
-a series of public lectures on the research theme of 'Likeness and Facial Recognition' by participants from the three workshops
-Gallery talks at UCLAC and NPG addressing the themes of the workshops in relation to specific artworks in the two collections
-Practical art workshops for adults, young adults and children where participants investigate the themes of the workshop through practical portraiture exercises led by an artist-educator.
-Workshops for the relevant bodies in the third sector, for example facial disfigurement charities such as Changing Faces.
Engagement and Communication
-Potential beneficiaries such as public audiences have already been engaged by existing public education programmes at the two institutions. Events leaflets, mailouts and website will be used to publicise impact activities to them.
-Impact activities will also be publicised to potential new public audiences through publicity and media networks already established by the two museums .
-Podcasts of some of the public events connected with the research network will be uploaded to the NPG and UCL websites in order to communicate the content in an accessible way via the web and to form a permanent public web resource.
Collaboration
Roles and Responsibilities
-The impact activities will be programmed and managed by Lucy Ribeiro (Learning and Access Manager at the NPG) and the PI (who is responsible for the public programmes at UCL Art Collections). This is an established relationship.
-Administrative support will be provided by the NPG's education department and the Project Assistant
Relationships
-The PI has already established good links with the NPG's public programmes department through participation in planning and delivering content for previous NPG workshops on themes of portraiture and identity
-Both collaborators also have excellent contacts with other London museum education departments and freelance artist educators and it is likely that the collaboration will be extended to include other museums once the research network is set up.
Exploitation and Application
-The outputs from the research will be exploited and protected via a volume of collected papers and a website. Although these outputs are likely to be of most interest to the academic community, their existence in the public domain will also be of benefit to interested members of the wider public.
-A selection of the public talks and lectures will be made available as edited podcasts providing more informal access to the research outcomes of the workshops.
Capability
-The PI will programme the impact activities in collaboration with the NPG's education department.
-The PI is currently responsible for public programmes at UCL art collections and has substantial knowledge and experience of the organisational and publicity mechanisms for programming and delivering public events.
-The NPG education department has a strong track record of programming public activities and has excellent resources and specialised staff to achieve the impact activities.
Resources
Impact activities will p
People |
ORCID iD |
| Emma Chambers (Principal Investigator) |