Skip to main content

Giant art installation displays 3D selfies on an enormous 850,000-LED ‘head’

Love it or hate it, but selfies are a pretty potent part of today’s popular culture. To some, they’re a symbol of a narcissistic generation in love with presenting an idealized image of their lives on social media. To others, they’re a reminder of our surveillance society, and how our identity is used to sell us products.

These conflicting ideas form the basis of an intriguing new exhibition by artist and Columbus College of Art and Design professor Matthew Mohr. Working with the Boston company Design Communications Ltd., Mohr has created an impressive art installation that is currently on display at the Greater Columbus Convention Center atrium in Columbus, Ohio. “As We Are” is a three-dimensional, 14-foot head-shaped sturcture consisting of 850,000 LED lights that are capable of displaying a giant 3D image of a person’s head. Inside the structure is a photo booth, featuring 29 cameras that take people’s photos, and then stitch the pictures together into a 3D model to create giant selfies.

“Everyone is welcome to stop by and have their photo taken inside the photo booth,” Mohr told Digital Trends. “After the image is processed, they can then step out and see their face displayed on the giant head. The magnification and amplification of your head in a public space speaks to the presence of social media and the way that identity is changing in society. It’s a fun experience for many people, while also being quite intense for others. It’s quite something to see your face 14-feet high, and to realize that this is how you move through the world.”

Recommended Videos

The head sets a precedent for a new kind of selfie, and can store up to 100,000 portraits locally, plus more in the cloud. These are cycled through continuously, with a focus on highlighting diverse faces. Mohr said he hopes to develop the work in the future by utilizing sound elements and facial recognition. “There’s a lot of future work planned,” he said. “This is part of an evolving platform. It’ll be around for the next 7 to 10 years, and we plan to do a lot of work building on it.”

Color us intrigued. Hey, it’s not every day that you get to become a statue!

Luke Dormehl
I'm a UK-based tech writer covering Cool Tech at Digital Trends. I've also written for Fast Company, Wired, the Guardian…
Sebastian Stan lays out Bucky’s future after Thunderbolts
Sebastian Stan in Thunderbolts.

There are some spoilers ahead for the ending of Marvel's Thunderbolts. Stop reading now if you don't want to be spoiled.

Earlier this year, Captain America: Brave New World briefly introduced a new direction for James "Bucky" Barnes, a character Sebastian Stan has been playing since 2011 in Captain America: The First Avenger. In Brave New World, the former Winter Soldier apparently retired from being a reformed hero and went into politics by running for Congress. Thunderbolts reveals that Bucky won his election to the House of Representatives. But his stay in Congress was short.

Read more
Jeep Compass EV breaks cover—but will it come to the U.S.?
jeep compass ev us newjeepcompassfirsteditionhawaii  4

Jeep just pulled the wraps off the all-new Compass EV, and while it’s an exciting leap into the electric future, there's a catch—it might not make it to the U.S. anytime soon.
This is a brand new electric version of the Jeep Compass, and being built on Stellantis' STLA platform—the same architecture underpinning models like the Peugeot E-3008 and E-5008—it looks much slicker and packs a lot more inside than previous versions of the Compass.
Let’s start with what’s cool: the new Compass EV is packing up to 404 miles of range on a single charge, a 74 kWh battery, and fast-charging that gets you from 20% to 80% in about 30 minutes. Not bad for a compact SUV with Jeep's badge on the nose.
There are two versions: a front-wheel-drive model with 213 horsepower and a beefier all-wheel-drive version with 375 horsepower. That AWD setup isn’t just for looks—it can handle 20% inclines even without front traction, and comes with extra ground clearance and better off-road angles. In short, it’s still a Jeep.
The design's been refreshed too, and inside you’ll find the kind of tech and comfort you’d expect in a modern EV—sleek, smart, and ready for both city streets and dirt trails.
But here’s the thing: even though production starts soon in Italy, Jeep hasn’t said whether the Compass EV is coming to America. And the signs aren’t promising.
Plans to build it in Canada were recently put on hold, with production now delayed until at least early 2026. Some of that might have to do with possible U.S. tariffs on Canadian and Mexican vehicles—adding a layer of uncertainty to the whole rollout.
According to Kelley Blue Book, a Stellantis spokesperson confirmed that the company has “temporarily paused work on the next-generation Jeep Compass, including activities at” the Canadian plant that was originally meant to build the model. They added that Stellantis is “reassessing its product strategy in North America” to better match customer needs and demand for different powertrain options.
So while Europe and other markets are gearing up to get the Compass EV soon, American drivers might be left waiting—or miss out entirely.
That’s a shame, because on paper, this electric Jeep hits a lot of sweet spots. Let’s just hope it finds a way over here.

Read more
Charlie Cox singles out his least favorite Daredevil: Born Again episode
Charlie Cox in Daredevil: Born Again.

Daredevil: Born Again season 1 was largely reconceived after the 2023 actor and writer strikes. Dario Scardapane -- a veteran of The Punisher series on Netflix -- was brought in to be the new showrunner and he made a lot of changes to the series that were well-received. However, there's one episode that Scardapane didn't really change at all, and it happens to be the least favorite episode of Daredevil: Born Again's leading man, Charlie Cox.

During an appearance on The Playlist, Cox noted that he wasn't very fond of the season's fifth episode, "With Interest," which was a largely standalone episode that featured his character, Matt Murdock, in a bank during a hostage crisis.

Read more