2 December, 2021
Rietveld Academy, Amsterdam
16:00-18:00
FREE

The argument for biometric technology such as facial recognition and fingerprint scanners is that they can objectively extract data to accurately identify people for contexts ranging from prison systems, welfare, and marketing, to commercial products.

Although conversations around algorithmic bias, accuracy issues, and data privacy have encouraged positive changes to when and how biometrics are used, the damaging consequences for a growing minority still linger. As biometric technology becomes more accurate and prevelant, the stakes also get higher.

In this workshop, we will go through a survey of facial recognition, emotion recognition, and adversarial tactics, informed by case studies, ideas and research developed in the fields of technology, visual culture, cosmetics, media theory, and military camouflage.

Through exercises and discussions, we will also confront the human assumptions encoded in algorithms, discuss how machine vision shapes the definition of being human, and find ways to reframe and retrain the ways we see and understand the face.