I think I see certain older people – I feel like it’s such a terrible thing to say – I see some older people and deep down I go “oh god, I do not want to look like that when I’m that old.”
That’s an utterly honest outtake from “FaceAge,” the award-winning multimedia video installation that will be on display Nov. 7 to 10 at Penn State Beaver.
The project uses three giant screens to immerse its audience in the lives of young adults and aging individuals as they study and describe each other’s faces. The goal is to challenge perceptions like the one above, build acceptance, and grow cross-generational connections.
It’s the brainchild of this year’s Penn State Laureate Andrew Belser, a professor of movement, voice, and acting; and director of the Arts & Design Research Incubator in the College of Arts and Architecture.
“As a laureate endeavor, 'FaceAge' proposes intergenerational connection as a binding force for communities divided by income, class and education, among other issues,” said Belser. “Because Pennsylvania demographics show growth in our aging population, a focus on cross-generational engagement is both timely and has potential to spawn meaningful interaction between Penn State and various communities.”
“FaceAge” is open to the public and will play on a 56-minute loop from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Nov. 7, 8, and 9 in the Student Union Building Lodge. It will be open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Nov. 10.
Belser, who produced and directed “FaceAge,” will be on campus Nov. 7 to conduct workshops and hold discussions with Beaver faculty and students. He will also offer a public presentation from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Lodge.
The Penn State Laureate title is conferred annually on a full-time faculty member in the arts or humanities to bring greater visibility to the arts, humanities and the University, as well as his or her own work. Belser succeeds 2016-17 Penn State Laureate Rebecca Strzelec, professor of visual arts at Penn State Altoona, who visited the Beaver campus last November.
For more information on "FaceAge," visit faceage.org. For more information on the Penn State Laureate program, visit vpaa.psu.edu/penn-state-laureate.
