Nemo Smith is not a politician. Smith is a politician created by different algorithms. His political campaign and imagery is based on existing ones in the United Kingdom. By analysing them and taking these campaigns to the extreme by using new technologies, Marcel Top tries to create a discussion around the dangers they might pose in the future.

 

Top started Nemo Smith by collecting and analysing spending of political parties on election campaigns, especially into their ad spending and data collection. Using this data Top collected imagery and text from these political parties and categorised the according to their message and visual language. A reoccuring message was a polarising one. One to push voters to vote against something instead for something. This laid out the base for the political campaign of Nemo Smith. Nemo Smith only stands for one thing, that he is not a politician. Using this he wants to polarise the viewer, making them chose between him and actual politicians. By taking this type of campaigning to the extreme Top hopes it will spark conversation about actual campaigns and political strategies.

 

To create this politician Top used portraits of all current UK mp’s and used an algorithm to create a new face. Based from that face Top created an ultrarealistic 3D model to be able to create full body imagery. Aside from 3D models Top also used algorithms to face swap or create deepfakes. By using deepfakes in a controlled setting Top hopes to be able to create a discussion around them and on how to recognise them.

 

The goal of Nemo Smith is to push the voting against someone to the extreme. By creating a politician that only stands against thing, top hopes to spark the conversation about how political campaigning works and what politicians do. With the use of new technologies to create live like but fake imagery, top hopes to sensibilise people about the danger this could pose in upcoming elections.