In this interactive work, the viewer’s facial expressions are transformed into those of a (female) Kathakali performer juxtaposed simultaneously with that of a (male) Theyyam ritual participant. The artist uses 2 different AI algorithms to achieve this. The first algorithm learns to break down the structure of any real-time video of a face into its facial structure, and the second learns to add the appropriate face paint to that structure to transform it into the face of a Kathakali performer or a Theyyam medium.
What results is a deep, self-conscious and subtle exploration of social justice frameworks through the use of AI technology. Kathakali is a performance art deeply informed by Sanskrit aesthetics and epic, patronized by royal families and “sattvic” temples (where typically the scheduled castes had no entry); Theyyam, a deity possession ritual, is locally varied and participated in typically by the lower castes, and is today consumed as an ‘aesthetic product’ due to the image industry of the Internet. In making all this visceral by making their juxtaposition and their generation deeply personal (you are watching yourself mirrored as these cultural others!), the artist asks important questions about the role of technology in the process of defining/preserving ‘cultural heritage’ and using it as a means to build social empathy rather than its prevalent role in further propagating bias. Can the same technology of AI facial recognition surveillance be used for re-aligning our relation with social justice frameworks?
The 2D paintings are generated using A.I generative techniques. The machine is trained on a curated selection of masks from central India.
The sculptural objects have been created using these 2D outputs, which are then modelled into a 3D form, 3D printed and painted over, referencing the original A.I generated image.
Masked Reality. Real-Time Interactive Installation at Art Bengaluru 2019. Dimensions Variable. Webcam, Digital Screen. 2019.
Masked Reality Exhibition Setup at Art Bengaluru 2019 (Sculptures and Interactive Piece).
This is an interactive installation piece with a machine generated face transformation done in real time on a webcam input, based on training the machine on traditional dance rituals from the southern Indian state of Kerala.
Artist as Community Sculpture 1 and 2 . 24x18x11 inch. 3D Printed PLA with Acrylic Paint. 2021.
Masked Reality. Real-Time Interactive Installation. Audience Face Transformed to Faces Inspired from Dance Rituals of Southern India. Dimensions Variable. Webcam, Digital Screen. 2018.
Following are A.I generated 2D portraitures inspired from mask cultures of central India.
Masked Reality 1 and 2. 13×16.5 inch each. Archival Print on Paper. 2018.
Masked Reality 3 and 4 . 13×16.5 inch each. Archival Print on Paper. 2018.
Masked Reality 5 and 6. 13×16.5 inch each. Archival Print on Paper. 2018.
Masked Reality 7 and 8. 13×16.5 inch each. Archival Print on Paper. 2018.
Mockup of Masked Reality Portraits 1 and 3 in an Interior Space.