143 Mask of Wisdom

Date: April 2020
Designed & submitted by: Jason Tse
Credit: jasontsemf

“A mask for people who can’t stop talking amid this COVID-19 pandemic.

Inspired by the current COVID-19 pandemic, I set out to make a mask out of all the wearable choices.

There are hacks from the public around the topic of a more user-friendly mask. Such as a hole in the middle of the mask for sticking a straw out. Such an idea of hacking the mask in the US is not as popular as Asia. In early April, most people in the States are comfortable with just wearing gloves, for some reason most of them are against the use of masks, until the government recommended it. Being an international student that cannot speak for all Americans, I can only make my very wild guess: They hate the idea of covering their mouth as they have to talk with their mouth exposed to the air.

Even for some of the most iconic super heroes, like Captain America, Batman, Wolverine, they don’t conceal their lower half of the face.

In comparison to heroes in Asia, for instance, ninjas and samurais, they cover their lower half of their face. Hannya, the jealous female demon in Japanese culture, signifies wisdom. The Mask of Wisdom provides the flexibility for people to reveal their "mouth" while keeping each other away from possible droplet infections. The wise wear masks, while the foolish spit venom.”