Cristina Hernández DOES Overexposed Identities
2020
Everything we do is surveilled. What we see, touch, say or listen, builds data sets, online profiles and target information. From active data exchanged daily through our smartphones, to non-invasive technologies such as biometric artificial intelligences. Going to the supermarket, to the hospital, walking along the street, taking a train, running, Instagram procrastinating, eating. We are massive data producers with an inconclusive mission. Each of us generates and carries tons of data that is pointing to us daily and individually, but we are not in control of it.
Data surrounds us, but we already know that. It is clear that every action we perform is becoming predictable, but we ignore its potential. Not for the companies, as that is clear, but for each one of us. We generate data, but we don’t have any tools nor knowledge to transform it or to be in charge of it. We are constantly acting, but we are always invited to follow.
We follow the rules, we follow trends, we follow people. Digital tools allow social figures to be everywhere all the time, they are the ones we commonly refer to as “influencers”. An individual whose actions, outfits and opinions are followed by millions of people, using the algorithm as its closest collaborator and data weapon.
In order to be an influencer you need to reach people by creating expectations they can relate to and media material they can dream about. Then they lead and people follow.
Some months ago, we asked Cristina Hernandez, a writer and journalist, to work with us on an experiment. The goal, to generate a new meaning of what being an “influencer” means. We wanted Cristina to be everywhere at any time, constantly feeding the algorithm. To do so, we needed Cristina to be as recognisable as possible, to be as easy to surveil as possible, as being in control of the data generated implications. After analyzing the most employed surveillance technologies worldwide and the main biometric parameters used to surveil the human body, we came up with a series of objects, prosthesis and garments, in order to exploit Cristina’s algorithmic presence.
We 3d scanned Cristina’s face, 3d printing 3 more in order to distribute them around her head, amplifying the possibilities of her being facial recognized even if she was standing backwards from a street camera. We 3d scanned her inner mouth, reproducing every tooth, its shape and position, and 3d printed a high heel accessory so she always left its print as she walked. Finally, we 3d scanned her fingerprint and 3d printed a dress with her fingerprint pattern distributed around it, so she would leave her fingerprint data attached to any surface she sat on or made physical contact with.
Nowadays, Cristina lives surrounded by those prosthesis, leaving biometric traces. She is thousands of times more exposed to be recognized and surveilled, creating an enormous amount of data that directly points to her. Cristina is becoming more and more present in data sets, being targeted repeatedly, influencing a vast amount of software; being more present than anyone, more recognizable than anyone, more surveilled that anyone.
She is everywhere, again and again. What is going to happen in a near future, when her biometric data will be more present than anyone else on earth? How will algorithms react and behave towards Cristina? Is Cristina becoming the most influential human alive?
credits
Art Direction and Photography: Arnau Anglada
Production Assistant: Alba Eiriz
Gaffer: Cris Neira
Costume Design: Marta M. Soldevilla
Costume Design Assistant: Oriol Clavell
Costume Digital Print: Het Heaven
3D printing: Daniel Riba
MUA: DOES Salon
Special Thanks: Mariona Esquerré