When you google yourself (or someone else) on Google Image and have a bad connection, rectangular, monochrome shapes are the result.
The data flow is too slow to provide the ‚correct‘ information.
The person displayed is reduced to a single color tone. In combination and appearance similar to color branding within trademarks.
Identity is – so to say – encrypted.
The encryption holds something very ephemeral. As soon as the data flow is completed the color code disappears. It‘s a sign of the past, almost like a memento mori.
The portrait developed from sepulchral sculpture (death masks) and served the purpose of keeping the person alive beyond death.
That a (self) portrait has similarity to a real person is mainly linked to the possibility of technical reproduction.
Deepface is a biometric algorithm for face recognition developed by Facebook. It's more effective than the facial detection program of the FBI.
The encryption of information by a transmission failure and identity-building image production were the starting point of this work.
Based on the rectangular outcomes of Google Image Search, customized portraits are created by the viewer.
Technically YOUR NAME HERE: APRICOT RATHER THAN ORANGE? consists of a URL and 3 displays.
When typing your name into the provided search mask, the program searches Google Image for the entered information, i.e. the data available of the interacting person.
The first 3 hits are displayed in the assigned color of the image, the person receives a personalized triptych with their name watermarked into the screens.
The URL can be accessed from anywhere. The result (portrait) is only visible within the exhibition context.
Video documentation of portrait generation
Portraits generated at yournamehere.today
Coding: Martin Kavalar
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