Face Recognition
This workshop is a collaboration between John and artist Cian McLoughlin that explores the intersection of art, neuroscience, mathematics, and machine learning through the evolution of portraiture and face recognition.
It connects:
- How artists try to capture the essence of a person,
- How the brain recognises faces using the Fusiform Face Area (FFA),
- How mathematics represents faces through dimensionality reduction,
- How computers use Eigenfaces and machine learning to recognise and re-create faces.
- The presentation culminates in the idea that only a few images are needed to form a mathematical “portrait”, an Eigenface, representing the essence of a person, not just their appearance.
Materials
Slides
Worksheets
Face Recognition Maths Worksheet
Face Recognition Maths Worksheet Example Solution
Face Recognition Art Worksheet
Face Recognition Maths Shorter Worksheet
Face Recognition Maths Worksheet Shorter Example Solution
This workshop was originally developed during Cian’s artist residency at the Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, supported by Taighde Éireann - Research Ireland.
References
McLoughlin, C. (2024, August 23). The Digital Mirror: TCIN and Dr John Butler at the Dublin Makers Festival, Richmond Barracks. Retrieved June 9, 2025, from https://www.cianmcloughlin.com/news/35-the-digital-mirror-tcin-and-dr-john-butler-at-the-dublin/