Joel Molinari

Joel Molinari

"Google Goggles; Four Eyes"

 

Identity Identification Interpretation 

 

My investigation is based on a concept of searching a single image of a number of different people, subjects I know, through one image. For example, their profile picture on their FaceBook page; this image has been specifically chosen by the subject ultimately defines their identity on social media. To the individual, that image is to then be regarded are their online identity. 

 

My process begins through image search on Google, where you have the ability to upload or drag an image into the search bar and a number of different results appear as result of searching via an image. This plays on googles ability to discover, interpret and analyse the image uploaded and showcase the results of the image search. This investigation adds on the concept and idea of what and how Google, as a search engine, interprets these individual images, known to us as fellow social media identities, and Google’s exploration of identity online?

 

In a sense its kind of allowing Google, the worlds largest search engine break down fragments, and the foundations of your personal image, your profile picture, which  in most cases your own face.  Google will decode, compare and contrast, and encode a range of results. The photographic comprehension google takes of someones portrait in comparison to the subject's take on their self portrait is what is interesting about this concept in regards to identification. How everyone views something with different perceptions. Eyes are connected to differing minds from others- this is the beauty of identification. Especially in an era so transparent as a result to technology advancement.  This concept outlines the stems of my work that will be showcased throughout this website, playing on the theme of Online Identity. Ultimately discovering how the wonders of the world wide web sees and views these images.

 

This website is a showcase of my findings and my interpretation of online identity; however i have gone onto a personal tangent and asked my subjects for a statement of their interpretation of googles altered version of their portrait. The four images i have chosen to investigate are images taken in Madison Square Gardens, New York City; all four of my subjects, myself included, had similar images taken, displayed as our FaceBook profile pictures. I chose to use these images to give this project a sense of cohesiveness and a back story that tied my four subjects together. My curiosity plays upon what google decodes from four similar images, will google see the similarities or just focus on the differences? 

 

For each image search i created a gif animated image using Adobe Photoshop. Each piece of work consist of a combination of 3 images found on google and the original image itself. This concept illustrates my idea of Google Goggles and having what is referred to as "four eyes." Partnered with each image will be a statement from each subject themselves and how they feel their identity has been interpreted via a Google image search.

 

The purpose of this website is to document and showcase my exploration of the theme, "Identity Online" and applying Google's interpretation against our online identities. Similar work and inspirations, like Simon Blend’s Google is alive, it has eyes and this is what it sees; touches on the concept, however I have chosen to explore the idea more so on individual and personal identities. Although I did appreciate his method of merging results into one flat image.  If this approach was taken, to me the image would loose meaning and depth.  If anything it would be a layered image of opacity controlled faces. His work does portray a unique kind of beauty that covers all possible differentiating results of his image search.  However, i prefer a harsh contrast of the results through the use of simplistic cropping for portrait images put into an animated gif. 

 

"Not everything is what it seems..."

 

Enjoy. 

Joel Molinari.