2021
Program: Photoshop, Illustrator
Self Portrait
by using the iPhone Measure application
“How far should we believe in science and technology and accept it as true?”
Self portrait. Digital ink jet print, 2021
Self-portrait using the ‘iPhone Measure application’ which is the latest AI technology based on Phrenology one of pseudo-science which was believed to be true without any doubt at that time.
*Phrenology: Phrenology is that the shape of the skull is a study that estimates human personality, psychological characteristics, and destiny, and argues that the characteristics of the person can be known by the size and shape of the skull.
Process
Based on phrenology, I divided the sections on the front, side, and back face.
Then the length of the corresponding part was measured using the 'Measure' app.
Measure app:
1. Curves cannot be measured. The result comes out only in a straight line.
2. Simultaneous measurements are not possible. If I deviate from one starting point, the previously measured results disappear.
Merger the measured shapes of the same number (total 35 sections)
Final work(before print)
This project’s goal was to make a self-portrait using an iPhone measurement application.
To this end, first, I explored the function of the measurement application. This application's main function is automatically detecting the dimensions of rectangular objects. The Measure app uses augmented reality (AR) technology to turn the device into a tape measure. People can gauge the size of objects, automatically detect the dimensions of rectangular objects, and save a photo of the measurement. I measured the length of my face with this main function. However, the problem here is that this application derives measurements only in a straight line. It was difficult to accurately measure a face with almost all lines curved. In addition, only when it continued at one point can be expanded to the screen at the same time. Therefore, it was not possible to measure the eyes, nose, and mouth at the same time.
So, secondly, the outline of the face was measured without breaking the line. This application recognizes and measures fixed objects in 2D, and I thought about how to measure a three-dimensional face. The idea I suggested was to divide the face into both sides, front, and back, measure the contour, and then fuse the layers. Another function of this application is angle measurement. In order to explore this function, an experiment was also conducted to measure the angle by dividing the face into three vertical areas and seven horizontal areas. After completing the exploration of the main function of the application, it was interesting to see how the latest technology with AR function recognizes the curved 3D human face. The numerical value is also not accurate because the image of my face was turned on with the iPad and measured through the application. This is because if a picture of a face is placed on a monitor with a large screen and measured, the numerical value will increase.
This part reminded me of the phenomenon of accepting the latest technologies and scientific concepts without a doubt in modern society. Therefore, for this project, I applied the concept of Phrenology that is now classified as pseudo-science, but at that time, people believed and accepted it without a doubt.