Ines Alpha on imagining a future with digital pets and 3D makeup

In the second half of November’s Nicer Tuesdays, Ines Alpha, a Paris-based creative who works with AR and 3D renders, talked us through her transforming face filters that completely defy the traditional standards of the beauty industry.

Having initially started working with 3D during her seven-year tenure as an art director for an advertising company, Ines shared with the audience her love of “making reality look more fantastic” – something which she couldn’t do within her role at the time. So, she experimented on the side and created video clips for a music producer, as well as a couple of videos infused with 3D. “I like everything related to science fiction and making reality weirder,” she said of her influences. Then, Ines went on to discuss her first project in this field – one that saw her take real footage from a trip she took with her friends to Greece, to which she added “weird creatures, iridescent blobs and weird costumes”. A next project she presented was in a similar vein, but instead saw a future vision of a world with digital pets. “I like when 3D mixes with reality in a confusing way, when you know that it’s not real,” she continued, before explaining how she transitioned into makeup.

“I learnt more skills in 3D and then I decided to unite two of my favourite things: make-up and 3D,” she said. “I thought, why not add 3D elements on faces of people and it will be like makeup of the future?” This question and concept forms the crux of Ines’ work. Placing makeup in a 3D dimension, her aim is to allow the user to transform their face and appearance in the most expressive and freeing of manners. “I’m fascinated by this strand of people experimenting with their appearance by using advanced makeup techniques, art props or plastic surgery,” she told the audience. “I wanted to give more tools to those people so they can have more possibilities to express their personality.”

With 3D, you can create your own rules and your own reality; “you’re like a god,” she joked. Through means of social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat, she told us how it’s not all that hard to create your own and that, in fact, filters are becoming much more accessible and continue to evolve. Next, she showed her recent projects for Nike, Bombay Lola, Charlie XCX and Selfridges – each demonstrative of a future filled with 3D elements and AR. “Technology advances so fast,” she concluded, “even in a couple of months it has evolved very quickly, which is pretty amazing. I’m very excited about the future.”