Visual Reconstruction of Human Ancestry Using Clay and Pixels

Paleo-artist Viktor Deak's lecture will be about his recent visit to China to study the newly discovered bones of early human populations living throughout southern Siberia and China. He will be describing the techniques he will be using to reconstruct the appearance of these individuals for an upcoming National Geographic special.

The remains of a finger bone and a tooth have yielded genetic material pointing to the discovery of a new type of early human. Neither Neanderthal nor Homo sapiens, the facts about the individual are only starting to emerge. It is yet to be determined where the specimen fits in with the human family bush. What is certain though that the story human origins are shaping up more complex and dramatic than ever thought.

Working in this field for close to a decade now, Deak will give a brief history of the processes he has developed and give a short run through of some earlier works. Using both clay and pixels, Viktor has been able to bring to life some of the oldest human remains known. Join us as he gears up to create new murals for a hall of human origins in Houston, TX as well as a series of busts of the new discoveries for the National Geographic special.