A University of Liverpool PhD student is bringing her expertise in robotics and coding to this year’s River of Light festival, which celebrates the theme ‘The Science of Light’.
Emma Brass, a fourth-year PhD student in the Department of Chemistry, has co-created FACE VALUE, one of ten installations featured in the festival, which runs along Liverpool’s waterfront until Sunday 2 November.
Developed in partnership with artist Venya Krutikov and produced by the Invisible Wind Factory, FACE VALUE invites visitors to explore how technology shapes identity in an increasingly digital world.
FACE VALUE co-creators Venya Krutikov and Emma Brass
The installation features an AI-powered robotic artist that captures portraits of audience members, transforming them in real time into abstract, evolving artworks. These reimagined images – accompanied by sound – are projected onto large screens, creating an immersive experience that asks: what happens to our digital selves once technology takes over?
Emma’s background in chemistry, coding, and robotics uniquely positioned her to contribute to this year’s River of Light theme.
Based in Professor Andy Cooper’s Autonomous Robots Laboratory, her research focuses on developing autonomous robots for scale-up chemical processes in the pharmaceutical sector.
Alongside her scientific work, she experiments with code-based art and has created a range of smaller-scale robots for painting and other creative technology projects.
She said: “I’m a chemist by academic background, but I’ve always been drawn to art making. During lockdown I taught myself coding, and I’ve since enjoyed developing projects that use technology in creative ways. Working with Venya and the Invisible Wind Factory has been an amazing opportunity to explore that side of my work — and it’s been an incredible experience to play a part in one of the city’s biggest cultural events.”
FACE VALUE is sponsored by the AI for Chemistry Hub (AIchemy) and the Leverhulme Research Centre for Functional Materials Design. Emma’s PhD is funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) with support from industry partners.
In addition, Blueprint, a large-scale immersive artwork inspired by the form of a double helix, the physical structure of DNA, takes inspiration from University research.
The sonic component of this installation (by composer and sound artist Ed Carter) is informed by Professor of Child Health Christian Hedrich’s work on childhood autoimmune diseases.
Blueprint is located on the Strand, in front of Salthouse Dock and opposite Canning Place.
The River of Light runs every evening from 5 – 9pm until Sunday 2 November, with designated quiet hours on 26 and 29 October (4 – 5pm).
Find out more here.
