Adham Faramawy and Terry Ryu Kim launch a new app probing interactive technology

“I’m pretty sure that computer generated images in movies have already started to affect how the movie viewing public think about what’s ‘real’ and what it means to manipulate and augment images,” says artist Adham Faramawy. “I know my own work with post-production and VFX started to affect how I talk. Language has become slippery and that’s affecting my sense of what it is to be physically present.”

Sculptural installation, #SlimefaceEmoji! is a facial recognition program attempting to address the ideas of computer vision and the technological influence on human emotion. Artists Terry Ryu Kim and Faramawy are taking over the exhibition space at Tank.tv for a fortnight, inviting viewers to test the photobooth style browser. Using a similar procedure to the camera used at airports and by police, the software places a vast selection of cartoon masks and emoji’s all over the browser, creating an immersive experience.

“It’s a very light-hearted work,” explains Faramawy. “This installation is very much an experiment for me. I wanted to use the elements of the sculptural install, including projection and sound to think about how technology affects the performance of emotion.”                                                                                  

The highly curated programme will be available to download for desktop and as a phone app from the Tank.tv website, later this month. Using technology as a means to interact with the public further demonstrates the shift from static exhibitions to digitally led experiences.

Slimeface Emoji! June 5th - 19th 2015, Tank.tv, London, UK