I was scrolling through Ted Talks and i came across a very interesting thumbnail. I watched the video and was introduced to Angelica Daas’s project Humanae. (if you’re too lazy to watch the awesome video, continue reading) Humanae brings a new perspective about human’s view of diversity. She took the photograph of the participants in a white background and white flash light, and having the correct skin colour, she then eye-dropped 11 pixel colour from their nose, and paint the background with the corresponding colour. Next she named the colour based on the industrial colour pallete. The result for me is astounding, you can see the the actual difference of skin colour everybody has, making each and every person unique in their own colour. You can still generalize most of the group colour, but the project brings a new thought that you can generalize people, but why should you? We’re all different but we’re all human. The amazing part of her project is that all of the audience participate voluntarily, and come from different places across the world. Her project unites people from all around the world. How? by sharing this message, there is a chance you will share it with your friend, you friend may share it to another friend and so on. We would be interested to see the photos because we have people similar to us in the project.
This personal exercise turned out to be a discovery. Suddenly I realized that Humanae was useful for many people. It represents a sort of mirror for those who cannot find themselves reflected in any label.
Angelica Dass, Ted Talk 2016
Humanae has been used for research, used by painters, teachers to teach kids about diversity. Angelica also indirectly talks how the power of media has brought her project across all borders. By putting her project over the internet, she lets people share her project and thus growing popularity and gaining a ton of audience.
Those portraits make us rethink how we see each other. When modern science is questioning the race concept, what does it mean for us to be black, white, yellow, red? Is it the eye, the nose, the mouth, the hair? Or does it have to do with our origin, nationality or bank account?
Her project makes me think my behaviour towards new people and everyone that i’ve met. Have I been exclusive? How do I become more accepting towards new people?