Joanna Kane

James Hogg, from the series 'The Somnambulists'

About this artwork

‘The Somnambulists: Photographic Portraits from Before Photography’ is a haunting series of portraits taken from a famous collection of phrenological heads now on loan to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. Phrenology is a psychological theory based on the belief that certain character traits are determined by the configuration of the human skull. Kane has a particular interest in relating new imaging technologies to the history of photography. Using digital techniques, she reaches into the past to bring figures from Scottish history to life. Animating her portraits to suggest an illusory sense of the living subject of the cast, Kane magically renders photographic likenesses from before the age of photography.

Updated before 2020

Does this text contain inaccurate information or language that you feel we should improve or change? Tell us what you think.

Joanna Kane

Joanna Kane