Yes, you read that right. The American artist Heather Dewey-Hagborg has given life to the experimental project “Stranger Visions” which consists in making 3D reconstructions of faces starting from DNA.
The artist collected hair, cigarette butts, chewed gum, and nail fragments scattered in public places and took the material to a laboratory where the DNA was isolated and sequenced, and then used to reconstruct the faces with software. and a 3D printer.
It is not known how reliable the facial reconstruction technique is, but according to a Dutch study, the prospects are encouraging, even if it is not yet possible to determine the age of the subject from the traces of DNA collected since the software automatically sets the profile of a 25-year-old.
Heather Dewey-Hagborg is an interdisciplinary artist, programmer, and educator with a particular interest in the exploration of art as research and public inquiry.
Using a range of media ranging from algorithms to DNA, her work aims to question the fundamental assumptions underlying the perception of human nature, technology, and the environment.
By examining culture through the lens of information, Heather creates situations and objects that embody concepts and probes for reflection and discussion.