British artist Es Devlin has unveiled an interactive installation that aims to represent the population of the United Kingdom as a single, shared digital portrait, regardless of participants' backgrounds or political views. Devlin has described the project as an attempt to "rethink what national identity might mean."
How it works
Adults aged 18 and over can take part by uploading a selfie taken with their mobile phone to a dedicated online portal. The system converts each photograph within seconds into a charcoal-style portrait in the manner of Es Devlin's work. In the gallery the resulting animated composition is projected onto a canvas that evokes a painting, so the individual faces blend into a continuously changing communal digital portrait.
Technology and collaboration
The technology was developed jointly by Es Devlin and the Google Arts and Culture Lab. The system uses artificial intelligence to generate portrait drawings echoing the artist’s charcoal and crayon techniques. Devlin has been making portraits with crayon and charcoal for three decades, and the idea for the National Portrait project originated about three years ago.
Exhibition context
The installation is displayed in the same room as portraits of several well-known British figures, including King Charles III, Catherine, Princess of Wales, the English ethologist Jane Goodall, fashion executive Anna Wintour, and England international footballer Marcus Rashford.
Audience and aims
At the project launch Es Devlin encouraged Britons to "unite on this portrait," and gallery director Victoria Siddall expressed hope that thousands from across the country would participate. The installation titled The National Portrait is scheduled to remain on view until October 27.
Why it matters
The initiative combines artistic practice with public participation and AI: it uses machine learning and crowd-sourced imagery to produce a visual expression of collective identity, linking traditional portrait aesthetics with contemporary digital techniques.
