These artists made 3D selfies you can ‘paint’ on

Forget your filters and your Jennifer Aniston photobombs (although great work bagging a seat next to Meryl at the Oscars, JLo), here’s something that could really make selfies interesting.

As part of their art installation Skin Deep, New York-based artists Alon Chitayat and Rosalie Yu created 3D-scanned computer models of themselves that people visiting the exhibition can artistically enhance. As Engadget explains, by drawing or painting on specially marked paper, the webcam translates visitors’ interpretations into (virtual) reality.

According to their website, Alon Chitayat is especially interested in how drawing can help people interact, and has previously had work exhibited in a range of international venues. Rosalie Yu has a background in psychology as well as art, and focuses on bridging storytelling and creativity with new technology.

The duo created Skin Deep together in order to bring a tactile element to new media, and to encourage people to talk and collaborate. Their artists’ statement says, ‘This project reflects our attempt to find a new kind of canvas in which an artist can incorporate the traditional medium of paper drawing with digital media – to give an artist the ability to work with both media simultaneously. The result is both new and familiar, the texture of the hand-drawn, the feel of the paper and the interactivity of digital media.’

It’s not likely to become a tool in widespread use anytime soon, as it was developed as part of their graduate work in New York University’s course in interactive telecommunications. But it could potentially be used one day as an art training tool, for gaming and online chat, and you know it would make a great app.

Image via Alon Chitayat’s Vimeo.