Digital selfies: The face of the Winter Olympics

Sochi, Russia – The XXII Olympic Winter Games are now over, and although many will remember the event for its controversies, London-based artist Asif Khan will remember it for its MegaFaces, an installation he created that transformed faces of ordinary people into large-scale 3D portraiture.

The MegaFaces installation was situated at the entrance to the games. Visitors were invited to have a 3D digital scan of their face, which was then translated into a large-scale digital portrait using actuators – cylinders on the building’s façade that have LED bulbs at their tips. The resulting face seemingly comes out of the building in an eerie and beautiful way, before the actuators fall back and the building becomes just a building once again.

‘For thousands of years people have used portraiture to record their history on the landscape, buildings and through public art,’ says Khan. ‘I’m inspired by the way the world is changing around us and how architecture can respond to it.’

Khan’s work transforms digital scans into feats of wonder, giving people a new view of themselves.

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