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By Alex Jordan 22 : 06 : 2016 Margot Bowman : Data Portraits : Personalisation

London – Artist Margot Bowman examines the relationship between identity and algorithms in a project for car brand Mini.

Data Portraits comprises a series of four GIFs created in collaboration with Raised by Wolves that depict two sets of identical twins
To an algorithm, the twins are indistinguishable, but a human can easily spot the differences between them

Data Portraits raises questions about the way that humans are perceived by algorithms that are designed to determine who we are and what our interests might be. The project was commissioned by Mini as part of its centenary celebrations, in which it examines how the demand for personalisation will be affected by the sharing economy.

Although the twins might look the same, their unique personalities are reflected in the artwork to examine the difference between practical biometric data and abstract behavioural data.

‘I was really interested in using data in a creative way,’ explains Bowman. ‘Your data is yours and it’s about who you are as an individual. I think that there needs to be more of a playful dialogue of creativity between us and our machines.’

Visitors to the BMW Group Future Experience exhibition at the Roundhouse will be able to see Mini’s Vision Vehicle. The exhibition is open daily from 10:00am to 5:00pm and will run until Sunday 26 June.

The Big Picture

The world’s Mega-systems are combining big data with a human touch to create products and services that offer a mix of personalisation and inspiration. To find out more, read our Mega-system Curation microtrend.