Electric Eigen-Portraits

Electric Eigen-Portraits shows the human face in a state of externally triggered resonance. Eight facial muscles are subjected to a simple on/off stimulation pattern, with a repetition period that varies gradually between 2 seconds and 100 milliseconds. At fast stimulation rates, the external input loses its precise control of the muscle contractions: resonance patterns appear which are primarily determined by the intrinsic mechanical properties of the facial muscle system. The face thus displays its own mechanical properties on the face itself, a self-portrait of the face, manifested by its Eigen-frequencies: an “Eigen-Portrait.” The soundtrack is a direct audio rendition of the electrical signals that are applied to the face displayed on the screen. Videography by Jeroen Meijer and Josephine Jasperse.

Face Shift

In Face Shift, identical algorithms control both sides of the face but one is slightly faster, over time creating visual patterns shifting from symmetry to asymmetry. Two DECtalk voice synthesis machines are deployed for each side of the face, calling out the identification numbers of the activated muscles. Face Shift was originally presented as a live performance work. Videography by Ellen Zweig.

Electric Eigen-Portraits and Face Shift are two video works that both experiment with algorithmic facial choreography. These works turn a computer-controlled human face into a medium for kinetic art. Small, precisely controlled electrical impulses are employed to trigger the facial muscles of a live human being into rendering involuntary expressions. As the human face is controlled by a digital computer instead of a neural brain, it can be made to perform in ways that are often unusual and surprising.

Arthur Elsenaar is an artist and an electrical engineer. He used to run his own pirate radio station, and he built the transmitters for many illegal radio and television stations throughout the Netherlands. He has developed radar-controlled interactive sculptures, interactive performance pieces, video installations, and audio installations. Elsenaar has also collaborated with Remko Scha, artist, programmer, and professor of computational linguistics at the University of Amsterdam, on a series of automatic performance pieces and video installations, which involve computer-controlled facial expression, algorithmic music, and synthetic speech. These works have been presented at scientific conferences, theater festivals, and art exhibitions throughout Europe and the United States. Elsenaar is currently finishing his PhD work, investigating the choreographic capabilities of the computer-controlled human face. His work challenges the traditional notion of facial expression as a conveyor of emotion and aims to develop a choreographic facial language.