Re-Cognitions: Durational Composites Series

The ‘Re-Cognitions' sequence is from a series exploring the use of composites in portraiture as a way of gathering time within a single portrait photograph, exploring identity over time rather than as captured in a split second, whether within time-spans of 15 minutes to several hours, or over generations as in the generation time composites.

Starting points are contemporary facial recognition systems which create composites of a single person within varying lighting conditions and positions for more accurate identification, as well as Galton and Batut's nineteenth century composites which aimed to create types from multiple superimposition of individuals thought to demonstrate particular criminal or medical characteristics.

With the 'Re-Cognitions' series I was interested in the idea researched by psychologists that we may recognise or identify people we are familiar with by matching a kind of internal layered composite constructed by the brain. The composites shown here are in a sense embodiments of these internal psychological portrait composites.