Artistic Masks for a World of Pandemics and Security Concerns

Wearing a mask in public, once seen as a phenomena of cities with high pollution, are now a global norm. The pervasive and ever transforming corona virus pandemic has made protective breathing devices common place for most populated areas. This very well may be part of the new normal, but at the very least, we will be dealing with these conditions for quite some time.

Artists Filippo Nassetti and Vincenzo Real have taken the burdens of this era and made it an opportunity. They combined forces with Stratasys (manufacturer of 3D printers and 3D production systems) to reimagine the generic concept of medical masks into something much more fantastic. This collaboration gave birth to The Thalassic Masks project.

The term “thalassic” mean of or relating to the sea, and one can easily see how the outer structure of these face coverings resemble the fluid organic essence of an oceanic ecosystem. In their rendition, the artists incorporated not only the protective mechanics of masks but also include 3D printed design, biomimetic engineering, thermal studies of the different human head areas, and physiological analysis to create a new concept for masks that also address the relationship between wearable technology, the human body and environmental conditions. “The ability of filtrating the air and the environment through structure to a molecular level, such as natural organisms do, is generally very difficult to achieve with just a simple garment… However, thanks to technologies such as 3D printing, it is now possible to define structures in an extremely precise and controlled manner. In Thalassic’s particular case, thanks to the 3D printing techniques provided by Stratasys”  

Check out more at https://www.thalassicmasks.com/