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
Lesson Plan and Slides.
Handouts
Worksheets and MCQs
Curriculum Aligment
Primary and Secondary
Irish curriculum alignment
The Face Recognition workshop explores how computers identify faces using a mathematical technique called Eigenfaces, in which each face image is represented as a grid of numbers and then expressed as a weighted combination of a small set of key patterns. The core mathematical idea is dimensionality reduction — taking a highly complex object (a human face) and finding a compact numerical description that still captures what makes it recognisable. This workshop is unique among the five in having a genuine and developed cross-curricular link with Art, supported by a collaboration with Irish portrait artist Cian McLoughlin, which makes it particularly well suited to Transition Year and cross-departmental projects.
| Subject | Primary | Junior Cycle | Leaving Cert |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | Number | Number | Number, Algebra |
| Art / Visual Art | Primary Visual Arts | portraiture and figurative work | Visual Studies, portraiture |
| Science | the human body and the senses | — | |
| Computer Science | — | data representation;g | data representation, abstraction, and dimensionality reduction; AI and pattern recognition strand |
| Applied Mathematics | — | — | Mathematical Modelling strand |
| SPHE / CSPE | identity and self-image | ethics of facial recognition technology; privacy rights | — |
Materials
Start here — includes timing, learning objectives and preparation notes.
| Face Recognition Teacher Lesson Plan | Face Recognition Slides |
Handouts
| Handout | Solution |
|---|---|
| Face Recognition Maths Worksheet | Solution |
| Face Recognition Art Worksheet | Solution |
| Face Recognition Shorter Worksheet | Solution |
| Face Recognition MCQ | Solutions |
Certificate of Completion
This workshop was originally developed during Cian’s artist residency at the Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, supported by Taighde Éireann - Research Ireland.
The material is released under CC-BY-NC. Feel free to share and adapt them.
Contact
Have a question about the workshops, want to arrange a session for your school, or have feedback to share?
- 📧 Dr John Butler — john.butler@tudublin.ie
We'd love to hear how the workshops went:
| Student Feedback Form | Teacher Feedback Form |
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/