Research:
To begin the research for this project, I put together a list of pandemics throughout history. The list I compiled is as follows:
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- Prehistoric Pandemic, ~3,000 B.C.
- Plague of Athens, ~430 B.C.
- Antonine Plague, ~165-180 A.D.
- Plague of Cyprian, ~250-270 A.D.
- Plague of Justinian, ~541-542 A.D.
- Black Death, ~1346-1353 A.D.
- Cocoliztli Epidemic, ~1545-1548 A.D.
- American Plagues, ~16th Century
- Great Plague of London, ~1665-1666
- Great Plague of Marseille, ~1720-1723
- Russian Plague, ~1770-1772
- Philadelphia Yellow Fever Epidemic, ~1793
- Flu Pandemic, ~1889-1890
- American Polio Epidemic, ~1916
- Spanish Flu, ~1918-1920
- Asian Flu, ~1957-1958
- Aids Pandemic and Epidemic, ~1981-Present
- H1N1 Swine Flu Pandemic, ~2009-2010
- West African Ebola Epidemic, ~2014-2016
- Zika Virus Epidemic, ~2015-Present
Source: www.livescience.com/
Continuing with my research, I wanted to define the word ‘pandemic’ in order to open my research up to more abstract concepts. The definition that I found, according to www.merriam-webster.com, is as follows:
Pandemic – Adjective
1. occurring over a wide geographic are (such as multiple countries or continents) and typically affecting a significant proportion of the population
2. characterized by very widespread growth or extent
Pandemic – Noun
1. an outbreak of a disease that occurs over a wide geographic area (such as multiple countries or continents) and typically affects a significant proportion of the population : a pandemic outbreak of a disease
2. an outbreak or product of sudden rapid spread, growth, or development
With a concrete definition of the word ‘pandemic’, I was able to expand this list beyond contagious diseases, and open it to human nature, as there are many vices that are common among diverse groups. The list I made continued:
21. Smoking as a Pandemic, resulting in lung cancer and poor health
22. Vanity as a Pandemic, seeing self as better and more important
23. Over-eating/under-eating, resulting in mental illnesses
Now that I had a comprehensive list of different pandemics and behaviors I could choose from, I decided to narrow it down to a couple ideas, and expand on those. The different possibilities I had are as shown below:
Pandemic: Lung cancer as a result of smoking, and justifying that behavior by any means. The mask would look like a normal reusable face-mask, with a
Who? Adults who smoke tobacco products or other addictive substances
Anyone who interacts with the individual in public
What? Lower face covering, with the eyes and top half of face showing.
Where? Around the world when the Spanish Flu became more apparent.
When? Used during Spanish Flu, which started in 1918. During this time, there was a shortage of materials needed to combat influenza.
Additional Notes: Self-centered mask, making self comfortable, while disregarding others or making them uncomfortable
Pandemic: During the initial outbreak of the Coronavirus, social gatherings were attended with a certain degree of caution. People needed to be aware of those they were coming in contact with, as anyone could be a potential host for the virus.
Who? People who attend social gatherings and who interact or regularly see others with compromised immune systems or health problems
What? Full face covering (physical). The relationship between mask and body: the mask indicates to others that the wearer does not want social interaction. It gives off an aggressive feeling, which backs peers away; Only those who are close to the wearer and know them well, will understand the meaning behind the aggressive nature of the mask and still interact with them.
Where? This mask is to be worn at social gatherings with many unknown people. It would also be effective in public spaces that people crowd into.
When? After January 2020, when the Coronavirus pandemic numbers reached a new high, this attention to social interaction became crucial in people’s lives. People had to monitor those they were around to ensure that that they did not spread the illness to people with compromised immune systems.
Additional Notes: Need of space (6 ft.), pushing people away, Protection vs. scary, Aggressive vs. protective.
1 Passive – Turtle in shell
1 Aggressive – Dog barking
After I had these two ideas mapped out more, I decided to stick to the Coronavirus route, as I related more with the need to distance myself from my friends in order to protect my family. I furthered my exploration of this idea by making a list of features which best exemplified the aggressive nature of the mask, making it scary and almost uncomfortable to look at. The list of features is as follows:
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- Horns
- Exposed Bones
- Grin
- Sharp Teeth
- Nose Bone
- Similar to Voldemort from Harry Potter
- Pointy Corners
- Chin
- Edges of Smile
- Armor-like textures
- Chain Mail, Metal Patterns, etc.
- Paper Tessellations?
- Chain Mail, Metal Patterns, etc.
The next step I needed to take was to figure out what materials I wanted to construct the mask from. As the assignment brief calls for the majority use of planar materials, I had a very limited number to choose from. The list of possible materials that I could use is as follows:
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- Bristol Paper, and Heavy Duty Cardstock
- Aluminum Foil
- Parchment Paper
- Paper Mache
- Cloth or Fabric
- Tracing Paper
I needed to test these materials in order to find which worked well together and ensured that the mask would be durable. I came up with three categories to test each material for: durability (making sure the material is strong and won’t fall apart), malleability (making sure I can shape it to the form I want) and convenience (the amount of material I have available and how long it takes to shape and secure it). Each category scores from 1-10, 10 being the best. My findings from testing the materials are detailed below:
| Material | Durability | Malleability | Convenience | Total |
| Bristol | 8 | 2 | 9 | 19 |
| Cardstock | 7 | 6 | 10 | 23 |
| Aluminum Foil | 5 | 9 | 6 | 20 |
| Parchment Pap. | 4 | 7 | 6 | 17 |
| Paper Mache | 6 | 9 | 8 | 23 |
| Fabric | 6 | 8 | 2 | 16 |
| Tracing Paper | 2 | 7 | 6 | 15 |
After analyzing the results from these tests, I decided it would be best to construct the mask out of cardstock, as it is more malleable than Bristol paper. I also wanted to make the base out of paper mache, as I could easily form it to my own face. One material that stood out during the test was the fabric. Initially, I thought it would be the best to work with, as it is easy to shape to my face; however, the tests showed that it would be the most difficult material to work with; I would have to sew it to the paper mache base, and weather the fabric to match the grooves of my face. For these reasons, I decided to stick with a paper mache base, with a cardstock exterior.
Iteration:
I started the iteration phase by sketching a couple ideas for possible masks. There were two completely different designs that I wanted to explore: a mask with animal features, and a medieval knight mask. The sketches are as follow:
When analyzing these sketches, I gravitated more to the center, animal drawing. Aside from the over-rounding of the face, I thought that the horns, teeth, and nose worked well together. Additionally, I noticed that the textured patterns on the forehead and side of the face further emphasize the aggressive nature of the mask.
After completing these sketches, I did an activity in class, in which I was given time to make rough iterations of masks. For this activity, my partner and I would each spend 20-30 minutes working on our iteration. After the timer sounded, we traded our masks, and worked on the other person’s for another 20-30 minutes. This process repeated two more times, until we were each left with a collaborative mask. The mask I made from this process is shown here:
Perhaps the biggest takeaways from this activity are the horns, and the straps used to hold the mask to the head. First, the straps used to secure the mask did not fit the size of my head. I realized that this method of holding a mask up would not be the best, as this measurement on every person varies drastically based on their head shape and size. Additionally, I was not happy with the horns on this iteration. Rather than just being smooth cones, I wanted the horns to have some texture, similar to the bumpy nature of ram horns. I had another idea, which layered paper cylinders inside of each other, descending in height. This attempt is shown below.
Once I had a method of making horns that I was happy with, I shifted my focus to the texture on the forehead and sides of the mask. I originally wanted to make a hill texture, incrementally wrapping paper around a skewer, giving it ‘hills’. However, after much trial and error, I decided to go another route. In class, my partner Danny was working with a specific paper tessellation: Origami Magic Ball. I tested this folding method using drawing paper, as it was more malleable than cardstock. Once completing the tutorial, I taped the tessellation to the forehead of a styrofoam bust. This test is shown below.
This method of wrapping the forehead was extremely successful, as it forms directly to the curves of the bust. It was so effective that I decided to use a simplified folding method for the cheeks and under the nose. I felt that these patterns strayed from my initial sketches, so I sketched another iteration, which is as follows.
This iteration of the mask better utilizes the tessellation patterns. Additionally, rather than being a full face covering, this mask only covers the top half of the face. When sketching this iteration, I had the idea that the person would be able to wear a face mask underneath, in order to better protect the individual from harmful bacteria and viruses. Keeping the mouth open made it easier to to put on and remove the mask. Additionally, it made the mask easier to breathe in, and gave it another level of functionality.
Concept Statement:
During the initial outbreak of the Coronavirus in March of 2020, people started realizing the changing reality of their day-to-day lives. Because of the pandemic, we have to wear masks when we go out for safety, so masks became very important accessories. The mask becomes part of our daily outfit, just like clothes. It can express our personality as well. The chosen mask is an expression of attitude and personality and communicates with others nonverbally.
Two college students, Mark and Danny, both design foundation students, are in the same social circle. One day, one of their friends was throwing a party at his house. Having never been to this friend’s house, both Mark and Danny were worried about the party being too crowded. Additionally, both have family members they interact with regularly who have compromised immune systems, leaving them more at risk for coronavirus complications. Having discussed the possible consequences, both Mark and Danny decided to go to the party, but they had a plan on how to promote social distancing, at least in their direct vicinity.
Both students planned on wearing masks to the party, but the mask each chose varied. Danny was aloof and decided to wear a mask that resembled armor to show that he was very attentive to the personal space and didn’t want random people to disrupt it easily. This passive approach does not frighten familiar people into staying away. Rather, like armor from the medieval period, the mask protects its user from harmful bacteria and unidentified people, while promoting a curious nature from peers.
Mark had a slightly different attitude toward the party, hoping to see his friends, but not wanting to be around a lot of people. He decided to wear a mask that resembled a combination of a wild mythical beast, incorporating horns and animal-like characteristics, and a warrior, having armor-like textures that appear weathered. The stand-off nature of the mask encourages people to back away from the individual wearing it, unaware of how the individual will respond to crowding. This outward approach promotes a sense of isolation, and more protection from the crowd.
Production:
The first step I had to take in the production process was to make a paper mache mold of my face. I did this by cutting strips of old news paper and setting aside a bowl of .5 cup glue and .5 cup water. I then applied a heavy coat of Vaseline to my face, where I intended the mask to cover. One at a time, I dipped the newspaper strips into the glue mixture, then applied them to my face. Once finished with this process, I let the paper mache dry a bit before removing it. Once dry, I cut the paper mache to the size of my mask. I then vertically folded three rectangular pieces of paper, using these as supports for the forehead tessellations. To make the mask more durable, I put a strip of cardstock overtop the forehead. I noticed that this only made the top of the mask more stable, so I put the nose piece on, and sealed it to the paper mache. This helped strengthen the entire mask, and made it easier to see the next steps I would need to take.
Once I had the base of the forehead set, I needed to further strengthen the rest of the mask. I cut out a template to use for the bottom (cheekbones), which would seal underneath the nose. In addition to adding stability, this layer of cardstock would make it easier to adhere the different layers to the mask. Once the cheek cover was dry, I noticed the paper at the bridge of the nose was fraying, so I covered it with a brighter shade of gray cardstock. I, then, adhered the armor tessellation to the forehead super glue, bending it to the contour of the eye sockets.
After the glue dried, I could move onto covering the lower half of the mask. I needed to create another tessellation, similar to that of the forehead piece. However, I decided to simplify it by getting rid of the cross folds. This left the tessellation in a 2D form, rather than a 3D form, making it easier to shape to the bottom of the mask. Once the tessellation was set, I traced the template for the cheekbones onto it, and cut it out. When adhering it to the mask, I tucked the tessellation under the nose piece, giving a cleaner look and hiding the fray marks. While setting, I wrapped squares of cardstock around a skewer, making a smaller horn. I repeated this process three times and tested the possible positions for them. I found that two horns on each side looked too crowded, so I simplified it to one per side, and secured them to the mask.
Now that the majority of the mask was completed, I needed to work on the horns and the mechanism that would hold it on a person’s head. As stated earlier, I tested the possibilities for the horns, and found a method that I liked. This additive method that I used to make the horns is shown below.
Adhering the horns to the mask proved to be a problem. I tried using super glue to hold it, but the glue couldn’t support the weight of the horns. After using many different types of glue, I decided to try using hot glue. However, this proved to be a problem, as the nozzle for the glue gun wouldn’t fit in the horn. Rather than use a glue gun to heat the glue sticks, I used a lighter to melt the glue and carefully put the melted glue in the interior of the horn, holding it together. This method worked well, both with holding individual sections of the horns together, and holding the horns to the top of the mask. Now that the front of the mask was completed, I shifted focus to the strap that would hold it to a person’s head.
I wanted to continue my strict use of planar materials, so I decided to, once again, use cardstock. I cut three .75 x 12 inch strips of cardstock, joining one corner of each, making two supplementary 90 degree angles. From there, I had assistance to help find the correct positioning of each strip to hold it comfortably on my head. My friend held the mask up against my face, and I guided the strip of cardstock over my ear and held it against the mask where I wanted to adhere it to. I took off the mask, and glued the positioning strip to it. We repeated this process on the other side of the mask, then on the top, to ensure the mask would not fall down. My Mask-Up final project is as follows.
As this was a group project, my partner, Jiacheng Zhang’s final product is shown below.
The two masks are shown in the same space below.
Link to Portfolio Project:
View the Mask Up Project at Mask Up.