28 November 2013

'Proving Your Identity: The Passports of the Future' - Dundee Arts Cafe on 3rd December

Do aspects of modern life, like having a multitude of passwords and pin codes you can't remember and the variety of ways you need to prove your identity when travelling, shopping or doing business, grind you down?

If so, then you might be interested to hear Dr Sandra Wilson explain how the answer to these 21st century frustrations might lie in jewellery and fashion at the next Dundee Arts Cafe event at The McManus: Dundee's Art Gallery & Museum on Tuesday, 3rd December.

Dr Wilson is a Senior Lecturer in Jewellery & Metal Design at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design (DJCAD), part of the University of Dundee. Her current research project examines public responses to future identity management practices and technologies and aims to map the public's taboos and desires in this area.

Her Dundee Arts Cafe talk will focus on the development of new and more pleasurable ways of establishing that we are who we say we are, with specific reference to research being undertaken at the University of Dundee and partner organisations.

These developments include jewellery that contains our emergency health information and scarves that contain our basic ID info. The talk will also feature practical demonstrations of this technology, and members of the audience will have the chance to try it out for themselves.

Dr Wilson said, 'As more of our lives become digital, we use the internet increasingly for dealing with everything from applying for a driver's license to shopping and social networking but there are increasing levels of security that accompany this and complicated terms and conditions to agree to.

'Researchers in a huge variety of fields, including jewellery and fashion, are looking at ways of integrating the need to prove ID into our everyday lives and are coming up with ever more inventive products that take the pain out of carrying a vast amount of data on our person. Increasingly, new body based biometrics are being introduced, for example in airports that use finger printing or iris recognition to authenticate identity.

'Some of these are serious, some playful and some both, such as scanable items of jewellery and clothing that allow emergency service personnel to access medical records. This is a chance for people to come and hear about these new developments and try them out for themselves.'

Dundee Arts Cafe is a programme of talks showcasing arts research and developments taking place locally. The series is organised by the Universities of Dundee and Abertay, and Dundee City Council's Leisure & Culture department.

These events enable members of the public to relax and discuss the arts, from English to History, Philosophy to Architecture, and Fine Art to Product Design, with some of the leading names carrying out work in these areas in Dundee.

The events last one hour, and speakers talk passionately about their work for 30 minutes before the floor is opened up to an informal discussion with the audience. All talks take place in The McManus Café, Albert Square, Dundee.

'Proving Your Identity: The Passports of the Future' takes place at 6pm on Tuesday, 3rd December. This event is free, and open to all. Limited seating means visitors are advised to arrive early to avoid disappointment.

For more information about Dr Wilson's research, please see: http://imprintsfutures.org/.

For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk
MOBILE: 07854 953277