The Human Race Machine
To think that there’s actually a machine to “change” your race …. The idea is really quite fascinating, but also somewhat disturbing as well. Although Burson claims that “there is no gene for the human race,” the very concept of a race machine indicates otherwise. It shows that we as a society are undoubtedly still preoccupied with race and how it differentiates us from one another. When I first saw the panel of racialized faces, I automatically assumed that they were the faces of different people; when I looked a bit closer, I was shocked to find that they were so similar. I guess what I’m trying to say is that because of the U.S’s history of racism and persisting aversion to difference, many people are blinded by what they see on the outside and expect certain people to act in certain ways. It’s an undeniable fact that race is still one of the most common and natural identifying characteristics.
The same applies to Burson, who took it upon herself to choose the “most representative” faces of the races her machine offers. This process in itself is very subjective, allowing too much room for racial stereotypes and personal preconceptions to play a role. There’s simply too much individual variation in every race for anyone to try to pick out the one “model, authentic” Hispanic or Asian. I don’t deny, however, that The Human Race Machine is really a great way to put things into perspective, forcing you to wonder if your skin color alone makes you a different person. It puts race on a more personal level, allowing you to “experience” another race that is ultimately no different from your own.
posted by Quinn at 9:36 PM
3 Comments:
I disagree with your critique of Burson. The intent of her project is not to demonstrate the variety among a single race which is enormous. Instead, it is to show that race is a cultural contruct. By picking the faces used to generate the morph in characteristics Burson is simply proving her point that tiny changes can make one face look like 5 people of unique descent.
I agree that there is certainly no absolute scale which you can look at and say this person is this dark so they are hispanic or black etc. I am taking a race and ethnic studies class this semester, and throughout the history of the US it is amazing to see how different groups of people have come to be considered white or black due to the prevailing social and political environments of the time. In addition, many immigrants who come to the US from places like Puerto Rico where they have there own complex system of racial labels are surprised to find themselves referred to as blacks or whites, even though that is a name that they don't identify with at all.
I also picked the "Human Race Machine" for my genomic art presentation. It was so interesting that the difference in skin color could change the way that we physically saw features; however, it is now clear that Burson connected skin colors to certain detectable characteristics. So although there is no gene for race, there seems to be a group of characteristics that can be connected with each race or ethnicity. I also agree that the "Human Race Machine" could possibly help human beings put their own lives and respective skin colors into perspective, I think the fact that some changes (no matter how minute they are) are made to your facial features could change your perception of yourself as part of that group. There is a difference in self-perception when your skin color alone changes versus when changes are made to your skin color and facial features.
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