Face, Photograph, Portrait. The use of Printmaking to explore contemporary forms of image making technology that continue to blur the distinction between the original and the copy

Abstract

This research investigates how human qualities persist in mechanically reproduced images of the face. Combining practice-led research with traditional printmaking, digital and AI-generated imagery, the project explores how process marks become integral to portraits. Drawing on Merleau-Ponty's phenomenology and Benjamin's concept of aura, the study reveals parallels between classical Greek sculpture and AI image generation, both using mathematical principles to construct idealised forms. The resulting prints demonstrate how reproduced images maintain human qualities while challenging traditional notions of the original and the copy.