If our face was symmetrical

Author:

Irene

12 feb 2014 14:16

Photographer Alex John Beck decided to know what our face will look like if it was symmetrical. We know that left half of our face is different from the right one. He created a series of images on which people are presented with the symmetrical face based on the left side of our face first and on our right side then.

New York-based photographer Alex John Beck, 32, took portraits of ten people and made symmetrical images using the right halves of their faces, and another using the left. The resulting images were then placed side-by-side for comparison.
He told : 'I was surprised at the subtle but undeniable difference between each character of our two faces.'

Indeed, in one 'upper image' image a male participant appears with a relatively slender neck and matching moles on each of his cheeks, below the eyes.

But in the 'lower image' shot he is thicker set with burst blood vessels marring his complexion.
Meanwhile a girl's eyes get closer together in her 'right hand' portrait - making her almost cross-eyed - but her 'upper image' appears perfectly balanced.

Mr Beck said that when his subjects saw the shots they expressed 'surprise' and 'disappointment.'
They included men and women of different ethnic backgrounds who he had met over the years through photography.
Describing their reactions, he said: 'Oftentimes they were dismayed to see even a slight difference in emotion between one side and the other.

'For example, one side of the face frequently showed more focus / attentiveness than the other.
'The mere fact that one side seems less present than the other proved worrisome, revealing a lack of total control, of total dominance over basic functioning of expression.'
Mr Beck says that he normally defines beauty the 'same way as everyone else' but in the context of the project it was about having a more symmetrical face.
He titled the collection of images 'Both Sides Of.'
The subjects' real-life images are not shown.

Explaining why, Mr Beck said: 'Because it's not about the deviation from reality, it's about the version of reality that we're choosing to show.
'If we showed the original image everyone would use it as the point of reference, and rather than compare two versions, they'd just move their eye from one picture to the original, then back again, trying to spot what's different.'
According to science writer and author, Sam Kean, the left side of our faces are more expressive than our right sides, because they are controlled by the part of our brain responsible for emotions.

The left side of the brain controls language, for example, while the right side controls spatial awareness and identifying faces.
The right side of the brain also controls the left side of the body, making the left side more expressive.
Mr Kean concluded: ‘We think we’re aware of most of what we’re doing, and it’s a little disconcerting to see this ticks, and these little things emerge, suddenly.’