RAI RESEARCH SEMINAR
SEMINAR SERIES AT THE ROYAL ANTHROPOLOGICAL INSTITUTE
Craniofacial anthropology in forensic identification and archaeological investigation
Prof Caroline Wilkinson, Director of Face Lab, Liverpool John Moores University
Wednesday 22 November at 5.30 pm
This presentation will describe how craniofacial anthropology can contribute towards the depiction of faces from the past and from contemporary forensic investigation and discuss the challenges and limitations of this research. You will discover the application of forensic anthropology techniques to the depiction of famous historical figures (such as Richard III and Robert the Bruce), preserved bodies (such as Ancient Egyptian mummies or bog bodies) and disease or trauma in ancient populations.
Short biography:
Caroline is Director of the Face Lab, a LJMU research group based in Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) and Director of Liverpool School of Art & Design. Caroline has a background in art and science and her research and creative work sits at the forefront of art-science fusion and includes subjects as diverse as forensic art, human anatomy, medical art, face recognition, forensic science, anthropology, 3D visualisation, digital art and craniofacial identification.
Caroline is a graduate of the University of Manchester, where she also led the Unit of Art in Medicine 2000-2005 and received a NESTA fellowship to develop a 3D computerised facial reconstruction system for use in forensic and archaeological depiction. She moved to LJMU from the University of Dundee, where she was Head of Human Identification in the award-winning Centre for Anatomy & Human Identification. In 2014 she set up Face Lab, a research group that carries out craniofacial research and utilises clinical images and skeletal material to depict the faces of people from the past alongside contemporary forensic casework.
She is author of Forensic Facial Reconstruction and co-author of Craniofacial Identification and The Lewis Chessmen Unmasked. She was the first woman President of the International Association of Craniofacial identification (IACI) in 2008 and she received the 2013 Royal Society of Edinburgh Senior Award for Public Engagement and the 2016 Combined Royal Colleges Medal for outstanding contribution to the advancement and/or application of medical photography or the wider field of medical imaging.
She has been involved in many archaeological investigations and her work is exhibited in museums around the world, including facial depictions of bog bodies (Moesgaard Museum & National Museum of Ireland), Ancient Egyptians (The British Museum & National Museum of Scotland) and British historical remains (Museum of London, McManus Gallery). She regularly engages the public with science and art through school education programs, television appearances and public events, and her research team have reconstructed the faces of key historical figures, such as Richard III, St Nicolas and Robert the Bruce.
This event is free, but tickets must be booked. To book tickets please go to https://carolinewilkinson.eventbrite.co.uk
Location : Royal Anthropological Institute
50 Fitzroy Street
London
W1T 5BT
United Kingdom
http://www.therai.org.uk
