BlinkPopShift / AI ACNE

Material

AI Acne is a set of 22 8.5 x 11 inch watercolor paintings on hydrophobic graph paper. The paintings have transparent overlays printed with green ink. Each green circle in the overlays corresponds to a widely used facial recognition algorithm’s 12% confidence that there is a whole face present at the location. Despite humans easily recognizing faces in these paintings 12% was the highest confidence reported by the algorithm.

Conceptual 

More often than not when I’m interacting with friends, co-workers, family, content creators, or politicians it’s thru screens. This is a simple reality of the late 2010’s, of my geographical and social position, of my race and gender and class and age. What am I seeing when a face is reduced to mathematical representation on a screen? What is the facial detection algorithm seeing? How is representation different for humans and computers?

Current project 

BlinkPopShift, founded by artist M Elio, uses technology to prove disability is a hot bed for innovation. Their latest project is ART SCHOOL FROM BED, a web series teaching art history and technique by and for disabled, chronically ill, mentally ill, fat, and neurodivergent people.

Follow along on Instagram @blinkpopshift
www.blinkpopshift.com