Also this issue: First Friday Focus -Lori Hill "Intricacy" at ICA -Susan Hagen Twang -Juliet Fletcher Grupo Afro Boricua -Deni Kasrel Cose Fan Tutte -David Shengold BodyVox -Janet Anderson Urban Tap -Deni Kasrel The Lysistrata Project -Toby Zinman

March 6-12, 2003

artpicks

Cornford and Cross: Ten Photographic Portraits from 10

What would happen if beauty pageant contestants were told that their buff bods, expensive clothes and Aqua-Netted coifs didn't count in the judge's eyes? There'd probably be a riot.

Well that's exactly what British artist duo Matthew Cornford and David Cross did with

10

<$s$t-5h$z$c$:, a beauty contest that used facial recognition software. The software analyzes different points on a person's face, like the distance between the eyes or the width of the nose. Cornford and Cross developed an "ideal" face based on symmetry and proportion and used the machines to judge the contestants. There was no entrance fee and money spent on clothes and hair didn't make a difference. The exercise was designed to point out the arbitrary nature of beauty contests based on the contestants' abilities to spend the money necessary to fit a societal ideal. It's an exploration into social

<$s$t-5h$z$c$:Darwinism;

<$s$t-5h$z$c$:the superior genetic makeup takes home the prize. Digital photos of 10 of the chosen faces will be on display at BaseKamp this month.

“Cornford & Cross: Ten Photographic Portraits from 10,” March 7-May 3, reception Thu., March 6, 6:30-9 p.m, BaseKamp, 723 Chestnut St.; artists' talk, Thu., March 6, 5 p.m., University of the Arts., 320 S. Broad St., all free.

—Debra Auspitz