Do you feel seen?
The digital artwork, Presence and Erasure by Random International, produces temporary portraits of passersby. It is an empty canvas without the participation of passing human bodies.
The artwork constantly scans for faces in the vicinity and photographs them. When the artwork’s algorithm detects a certain quality within a photograph, this image is temporarily printed at large scale by exposing a photochromic surface to light impulses.
The work invites us to consider our perception of surveillance technology and our participation, acceptance or defiance within it – from unlocking our phones with facial recognition, walking past surveillance cameras in public space, to uploading our selfies to social media – Presence and Erasure asks whether the thrill of seeing ourselves masks the violation of our privacy?
Engage with this evocative artwork highlighting the irreversible interconnectivity between human and machine.