I am autistic and I cannot recognise faces. This is prosopagnosia, a perception condition that affects more than 36% of autistic adults and 2% of the general population.
Prosopagnosia can manifest itself in different ways: some people cannot distinguish strangers, while others do not recognise themselves in the mirror. I personally recognise myself, but as for other people, I see them through their body movements, posture, and micro-gestures. Also, outfits help, but it takes time to learn everyone's wardrobe.
Not being able to recognise faces affects person's social life and is especially difficult while living in a small town - like Folkestone, which I recently moved to and love a lot. With this project I want to raise the awareness of people like me not being ignorant and unpolite, but just us being us. Perhaps this will help reduce the stigma surrounding this experience. And maybe it will stop dividing us, who knows.
To participate in my photo performance I invite everyone who relates to this and everyone who wants to support people with this perception. The photographic performance will consist of a collective photo session using the multiple exposure method, in which images are superimposed on each other during shooting.
This is a part of my Aut Splash ongoing project. Tickets and donations will help me with printing costs for the following exhibition.
Participation in the performance implies consent to the publication of the resulting photographs on the artist’s social media accounts, website, exhibition, book, and all other possible media.