Faces of Merseyside
Analysing the faces of people from Merseyside
Aims of Faces of Merseyside
Through face analysis, the Faces of Merseyside project aims to understand the differences and similarities between people from a variety of populations. Similarities between disparate groups will emphasise social cohesion and differences will highlight ‘tribal’ cohesion. These discussions and results will broaden our understanding of identity, appearance and society.
The project
The facial-data for this project is being collected from published sources, such as the internet, art collections and the LJMU database. Researchers will also collect images.
In 2016, academics took part in the Image Conference, presenting an exhibition and giving a keynote lecture, as well as a symposium about the research. At the Image Conference, the audience were able to donate a facial image and create a new facial average using our software. This interaction helped to explain the process and demonstrate how facial averages are made, their relevance and the interpretations.
A survey will establish if, after the lecture, the audience’s perception of facial appearance and identity has been altered.
Impact
Faces of Merseyside has implications within national identity, social cohesion and migrating world populations.
It is also pertinent to Merseyside, where local identity could be changing due to the creation of the Northern Powerhouse, the complex historical context of the city and the rapidly changing population.
The research also has the potential to effect public attitude and encourage local people to consider the importance of the face in identity, character and social group.
