Facial Recognition

Artist: John-Paul Pochin, Nelson

Websites: http://moments.co.nz, http://lightlimited.com

One of three projects linked by a surveillance theme: How many companies and organisations know what we look like and what are they doing with that information ?

Facial recognition is now used in everything from our cell phones and Facebook to surveillance cameras that check our terrorist status or just what we buy. This project demonstrates how little information our brains need to be able to see a face in a pattern through an array of 256 LED balls configured in the shape of a simple mask. The project is a nod to Kim Merry and the Mask Parade. In that case, the mask is designed to give people the confidence to be free and be themselves. Surveillance has the opposite effect.