Research
To begin this project, my partner and I began brainstorming by creating a list of things we dislike about masks as well as a mind map about masks.
Then, we built off of those ideas by brainstorming ways masks relate to the current Covid-19 pandemic.
After deciding to focus our design on the topic of nature vs. man as related to the pandemic, we answered the questions of who, what, when, where, and how to further develop our idea.
Exercise
The exercise for this project was taking notes on a podcast about the history of masks to acquire some background knowledge and spark new ideas.
Iterations
10 Speed Sketches
Often when beginning to brainstorm for a new project, my brain works best when sketching with pen and paper so I first drew 10 mini sketches of different mask ideas in my sketchbook.
Then, I redrew these sketches on an image of myself in the app, sketchbook, on my iPad so that I could see how the possible forms would look on a human figure.
Paper Mask
The first physical iteration my partner and I worked on was a rough creation of a couple aspects of our concept using a thin paper material so that we could focus on concepts and brainstorming rather than craftsmanship.
Leaf and Flower Templates and Test Cuts
After deciding that I would create a mask revolving around the idea of nature as related to the pandemic and my partner would be creating a mask revolving around the idea of man during the pandemic, the first design I knew I would new to create were leaf forms that could be cut out of paper. I drew templates for three different shapes of leaves in adobe illustrator which I planned to have the Cricut cut and score so I could attach the individual leaves to my mask.
I also began to draw flower templates in illustrator and then transfer those files to the Cricut for them to be cut and scored in preparation for gluing together. For my first iteration of flowers I directly used a Cricut template as inspiration, but I soon figured out that I needed to make changes to the designs before the final iterations so that they were my own drawings.
Next, I did some test cuts to see if the way the templates were set up would work and what type of glue would work best. In the end I decided to use tacky glue and the format of the templates seemed to work well so all I had to change in the next iteration was the design and shape of the petals and center-pieces.
After changing aspects of the petals and center-pieces, I drew new flower templates that were eventually used in the final production.
The next step in my process was doing some test cuts with the leaf templates to see if any changes needed to be made in the design or size.
Base Structure Tests
After figuring out that the leaf shapes and sizes would work, I tested multiple ways of creating a base structure that the leaves could connect to by using green floral wire.
Putting It All Together
Before attaching the leaves to the wire base I constructed, I decided to create a third iteration in which I made a mask form around my eyes and fanned the leaves out of the top. In the end, I decided against using this method because it didn’t represent the concept of growth as well as I intended and it didn’t allow for any movement, creating a closed composition which ultimately wouldn’t communicate my portion of the narrative best.
Focusing back on the wire base structure I built, which fit almost more like a hat, I taped leaves to the base wire to see if I would like the composition. I also tested this method with the addition of the eye mask.
Ultimately, I decided the eye mask made the design too much of a closed composition, so I decided to use the wire base structure and just attach leaves and flowers to the wire pieces. Without anything covering the face, it allows the composition to move or “grow” outwards off my head. This emphasizes the flourishing growth that nature experienced during the pandemic. Also, the three wires meeting at the middle in the front allows for the leaves to be placed in a way that they fan outwards emphasizing the expansion and growth qualities.
Concept Statement
There once was a time, not so long ago, that Man had to take on a new battle. The Covid-19 pandemic shook man to its core. There was a heightened sense of confinement due to a newly isolated lifestyle. Alone and fearful, there seemed to be no way out. The most hopeless days turned into hopeless nights, and the darkest months turned into the darkest years. But, out of the ashes arose a small, yet mighty glimmer of hope. Nature, in all her beauty, stood strong. Where man felt stuck, Nature began to thrive. Vibrant greenery and odorous flowers sprung up everywhere. A new relationship began to develop, not within Man itself, but between Man and Nature. In Man’s imprisonment, Nature reached out her hand to release it from its binds. She offered it an escape from its constraining way of life. Where there once lied two separate entities, now lies one unbreakable bond. While man still faces many challenges, Nature has planted a new seed of hope within it.
Production
Final Cuts
The first step in creating the final product was to cut many leaves out of multiple textured green pieces of card stock which was the material I chose for the final design.
Glue Techniques
Then, I needed to figure out a way to attach the leaves to the base and I decided that the best way to do so would be to attach them by wrapping the wire attached to the leaves around the pre-constructed wire base. I tested three different ways to attach the wire to the paper leaves which can be seen in the image below. After testing all three techniques, the most efficient glue technique was hot gluing the wire directly onto the paper leaves.
Construction
Below are images of wearing my mask after multiple additions of more leaves and flowers so that I could figure out which areas needed filled in better.
Final Product
Lastly, after meeting with my partner, we decided to attach one of my flowers to the wire using velcro instead of glue so that in our presentation I could take off the flower and hand it to my partner to represent the idea that nature is the key to man escaping confinement during the pandemic.
Presentation
