fighting for
freedom of facial expression

FREEDOM OF FACIAL EXPRESSION Manifesto
Stills from Electric Eigen-Portraits
(Elsenaar's face)

Artificial Facial Expression

by Arthur Elsenaar (with Remko Scha)

NEWS

03 January 2013
Technarte has posted the entire award winning Perfect Paul lecture / performance video on vimeo.

13 April 2012
Won the Best Speaker Award at Technarte International Conference on Art & Technology in Bilbao Spain, for my paper / lecture / performance "Perfect Paul: On Freedom of Facial Expression."

24 August 2011
I have started a Vimeo channel for my video's, this will also allow me to embed the video's through a reliable streaming service. Check it out at http://vimeo.com/artelse and leave a comment.

FACIAL HACKING: THE TWISTED LOGIC OF ELECTRO-FACIAL CHOREOGRAPHY
Results from my Ph.D. research on the computer-controlled human face (e-face) will be incorporated in a new site, which will include:

• The Language of Facial E-motion, an explorative facial framework
• An Electro-Facial Choreographic Vocabulary
• Totempole Notation, a Facial Muscle Matrix Notation system
• Electric stimulation of facial muscles: safety and practical implementation
• Advanced Facial Muscle Stimulus System

About

ARTIFACIAL expression is an art and research project that investigates the computer-controlled human face as a medium for kinetic art and develops algorithms for facial choreography. Small precisely controlled electrical impulses are employed to trigger the facial muscles of a live human person 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 unexpected ways, bringing together dance and technology in the most direct way imaginable.

Principal artist / researcher Arthur Elsenaar is currently finishing his Ph.D. doctorate work at Nottingham Trent University (UK) after enjoying three years of study at Sheffield Hallam University. He researches the choreographical capabilities of the computer-controlled human face, that challenges the traditional notion of facial expression as a conveyor of emotion and aims to develop a choreographical facial language.

Electrical stimulation of muscles itself is not new and has historic antecedents in the discovery of electricity. A paper entitled: "Electric Body Manipulation as Performance Art: A Historical Perspective" presents a brief look into this fascinating history and has won the 2003 Leonardo Award for Excellence.

ARTIFACIAL is an independent project and has been affiliated with the Institute of Artificial Art Amsterdam. Information about previous collaborative work can be found at the now defunct Department of ArtiFacial Expression.