Experience A Face to Open Doors
“Welcome to your face. Of course, you're used to it but in different lights we can look different and here you need to adjust to seeing yourself as others see you. You are sitting in a true face booth dedicated to solving the problem of global movement.”
“Certainly wasn't aware of the kind of technology that was being developed and going to be rolled out. Refugees are kind of expected to just be grateful about wherever they go and there's something very broken about that.”
“Refugee journeys have been chaotic but now, using a global perspective on what options are available we find the best destination for you.”
“It really scares me because I think who is making this AI and who is it modelled on. Why don't I know if it could potentially affect me? That, that just gives me a bit of a tingle”
“It's the micro gestures in your own face that do all the form filling for you and the algorithm does the rest.”
“I'm not sure how much to give away about the piece. Some of the things that it predicted about me I was shocked by or surprised by.”
What will immigration control look like in the future?
A Face to Open Doors is an immersive experience created by award-winning artists Anagram. It invites visitors to consider the systems used to process people fleeing conflict by taking them into an imaginary future world where international movement is policed by intelligent machines.
Find out more about how Anagram created the experience and see how people have reacted to the installation.
Part of Refugees, a free season of exhibitions, new artistic commissions and immersive events that took place across IWM London and IWM North.
Developing the experience
IWM invited Anagram to explore an aspect of refugee experiences that isn’t widely known or reported. Their investigations led them to current research and developments using AI and machine learning within immigration systems. A Face to Open Doors is an experience that invites personal reflection on what might happen if your face is your passport. By creating a fictional world it raises questions about ethics, efficiency and bias as technology is applied to new uses.
Susie Thornberry, Assistant Director of Public Engagement & Learning
Fictional story world
A Face to Open Doors is set in a fictional world shaped by climate, economic and political chaos.
Certain groups in the UK no longer have security and the ability to live their lives without fear. Were they to escape and seek refuge elsewhere this would place them in the category of refugee
Discover more about the project on Anagram's website:
