Catherine Cartwright is a multi-disciplinary artist, working primarily with printmaking, drawing and film, often exploring socio-political issues. For this commission Catherine focused on the use of automatic facial recognition technology and the potential it had to thwart protest.

She explains, 'My practice is concerned with how people have a voice and make change in the world. Gathering with others who share your concerns, in a public place, to stand up, be counted, to call for change, is fundamental to how societies make choices that change lives for the better. Urgency is the integral nature of the protest. The time to speak up is now - when ears are listening and eyes are watching. But what if this tool for change is thwarted? Automatic facial recognition technology (AFR) is fast becoming a way to instil borders and control in a fast-moving fluid world. AFR is commonplace at country borders and eases the flow through passport control. What about the use of AFR in public spaces? What is the impact on our motivation to protest if we know AFR is present, capturing and assessing our facial features?’

Exploring this question by working with six Devon residents, all of whom have taken part in protest, Catherine made layered printed portraits of each protestor creating what she called ‘liminal portrait placards’. Working with photographer Rob Darch each of these subjects were then photographed in the environment in which they protested. This took her from beaches, to countryside, to inner city streets.

An exhibition of the work was displayed at Make Tank, Exeter from 1-22 November 2019. One of the photographs from the exhibition was also featured on the cover of issue five of Humanities journal Question in September 2020.