What Is Face blindness?

What is Face blindness?

Prosopagnosia is a neurological condition that is believed to affect around 1 in 40-50 people. The condition, which impacts a person's ability to reliably recognise familiar faces, occurs on a spectrum and affects each person differently and to varying degrees of severity, ranging from those who have severe difficulty recognising family members and themselves, to people who struggle to recognise friends and acquaintances. Prosopagnosia does not impact a person's memory, but only the ability to reconstruct and recognise features of a face and it is believed to be a genetic condition. There are two types of prosopagnosia: Developmental (born with the condition) and acquired (usually caused by a head injury). Unfortunately, there is no cure for the condition, but people can develop coping strategies. It is also exceedingly difficult to get a diagnosis for face blindness as it is a widely unknown condition. As a result of this, people with the condition can sometimes lead most of their lives without realising that they are face blind.

What We Do

Faceless Productions London is a freelance Community Interest Company that specialises in supporting creatives with prosopagnosia. We also collaborate with creatives aiming to produce work about the condition, ensuring that the work that they produce is done so sensitively and upholds values of inclusion and accessibility. We raise awareness of the commonality of face blindness and facilitate creative opportunities. We specialise in three main areas: Producing, consultancy and running workshops. For further information, please contact us.

We specialise in producing new writing about face blindness and scripts written by people with face blindness. We can offer substantial knowledge on prosopagnosia and how creatives, and the creative sector, can become more accessible for creatives and audience members with the condition.

Producing

Consultancy

We provide professional and practical guidance for creatives intending to produce work about face blindness; aiming to broaden representation; and improve accessibility. We also offer guidance on how to successfully support colleagues and collaborators with face blindness in the creative industry.

We invite creatives with prosopagnosia to discuss their experience with the condition and develop performance strategies in safe and supportive spaces. We also provide networking opportunities for people with prosopagnosia to meet other creatives with the condition. We strive to encourage people, both with and without face blindness, to discuss how we can support our neurodiverse community and raise awareness of prosopagnosia in our wider society.

Workshops

Our Mission

As over 2% of the population are suspected to have prosopagnosia, it is vital to us to uphold values of inclusion, support and awareness.

We will:

Support creatives with prosopagnosia.
Raise awareness of the condition.
Encourage accessibility, inclusion and collaboration.
Champion creativity and innovation.
Encourage and support new writing that draws on narratives created by those with experiences of face blindness.

Get Involved

We are looking for collaborators!

Are you a creative with prosopagnosia? If so, we are looking to expand our team. Please get in contact with us if you would like further information:

facelessproductions2021@gmail.com

Upcoming Workshop Opportunity

CREATING FACE BLIND FRIENDLY THEATRE

We will be running our first workshop for creatives with face blindness on November 13th 2021. The workshop will take place in the Helen Martin Studio The Warwick Arts Centre. Find out more here: https://www.warwickartscentre.co.uk/whats-on/creating-face-blind-friendly-theatre-1836/

Sign up for the workshop here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc0PffS781Nri5HjJt586-Zr3WRWsmvRvvXTKVxZf-Agt3E9w/viewform

Biography

Faceless Productions London CIC was founded in 2021 by Emily Smart. Emily, who has face blindness, is currently studying English Literature and Theatre at The University of Warwick. She created the company to facilitate opportunities for those with face blindness in the creative sector and to offer practical support and guidance for those both with, and without, the condition. Finding that there was very little knowledge of prosopagnosia within society, Emily is aiming to raise awareness of the commonality of the face blindness. With 2% of the population having the condition, Emily is determined to see face blindness recognised and understood within our society; portrayed in the media and arts in a sensitive and truthful manner; and see the wider creative sector successfully support the face blind community.