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Marianna Bezhanyan
UCLA Design Media Arts | Presented at Rip Space Los Angeles, March 2025
Inspired by anti-facial-recognition makeup used by Russian protesters to disrupt biometric identification during demonstrations, this interactive project explores digital anonymity, surveillance, and resistance to state monitoring. Set in a fictional surveillance state, the experience places users in the position of individuals attempting to escape facial recognition. Using their webcam, participants construct a digital disguise by layering alphanumeric characters over their faces, symbolically disrupting the system's ability to identify them. The goal is to conceal one's identity within binary code and disappear from the surveillance network. The project explores the tension between visibility and anonymity, questioning how individuals can reclaim control over their identities in an increasingly surveilled world.
