Public Facein collaboration with Benjamin Maus and Richard Wilhelmer | Lindau on Lake Constance (Bodensee), Berlin, Vienna, 2010
Public Face, Gasometer Berlin-Schöneberg, 2008 (installation video)
Public Face, 2010 (process photo)
Public Face is an eight-meter-high smiley face, made of steel and neon tubes. Due to its immense scale, the sculpture becomes part of the skyline, and its varying expressions can be seen from far away. For example, it may seem angry, happy, sad, or surprised. The emotions conveyed by the sculpture are based on the facial expressions of local passersby, who are filmed by surveillance cameras. Their facial expressions are then analysed by a software, which the artists created with the help of algorithms that were developed by the Fraunhofer Institute. Public Face has been installed on prominent rooftops in Lindau, Berlin, and Vienna.
Installation view Public Face, Lindau on Lake Constance (Bodensee), 2010
Installation view Public Face, Gasometer Berlin-Schöneberg, 2008
Installation view Public Face, Gasometer Berlin-Schöneberg, 2008
Installation view Public Face, Lindau on Lake Constance (Bodensee), 2010
Installation view Public Face, Gasometer Berlin-Schöneberg, 2008