Masquerade Mask
School Group Project - Complete
A kintsugi-inspired masquerade mask designed and fabricated as a group project, combining CNC machining, 3D modeling, and painting to produce a wearable sculptural object, designed with mass manufacturing in mind.
01 Objective
A school project focused on practicing CAM file generation and designing for manufacturability. The brief required the group to produce the same mask consistently four times using CNC machining, with the intent of creating a mold suitable for vacuum forming. Each mask was then individually modified to introduce a unique character while maintaining the underlying form.
02 Inspiration
Inspired by the cracked aesthetic of porcelain dolls and the Japanese art of kintsugi, the mask highlights its cracks and cuts with gold scars.
03 Sketches
Early ideation explored a wide range of directions from topographic contour masks and muscle anatomy to conceptual communication masks and material driven forms. The sharps bin mask concept, which incorporated razor blade details, is what inspired the rest of the process as the idea of using actual razorblades was exceptionally horrifying.
04 Prototyping
Due to the time constraints of the project we limited ourselves to a single class period of prototyping, focusing our testing on one key question, how much of the face should the mask cover.
We decided to cover the majority of the face while leaving the mouth exposed, creating a contrast between the fixed, emotionless upper face and the expressive, moving mouth beneath.
05 Process
The mask was 3D modeled in Fusion 360, then translated into CAM files to drive the CNC router, which carved the form from high density foam to create the vacuum forming mold. The final mask was vacuum formed in polycarbonate, and once it was painted, the dulled razorblades were embedded.
06 Final Product
Designed to be mass manufactured and incredibly unsettling to look at, these masks are made from the same polycarbonate that safety glasses are made of, with razorblades lining the golden cracks towards the eye.
