The Thalassic Masks project aims to rethink the protective mask, turning a medical device created in an emergency into a design statement that expresses current identities.
Filippo Nassetti’s most recent innovation employs PolyJet technology to produce a collection of wearable masks that characterize and depict the times we live in.
Thalassic blends biomimetic design methodologies, additive manufacturing, and physiological analysis to build a new breed of masks and rethink the interaction between technology,
in the form of wearable objects, and the human body, drawing inspiration from aquatic forms.
In that sense, the Thalassic Masks project is more than just about the products; it’s also about how the dramatic and unexpected global events of the last several years have changed our lives.
Filippo Nassetti had already explored the wearable 3D printed mask concept as a combination of protective equipment and an artistic method of expression,
long before face masks became a health requirement in many parts of the world owing to the Coronavirus pandemic.
He had previously used SLS technology to augment and explore generative design and extreme shapes in previous projects.
The Thalassic mask project
Nassetti explored extreme, high-precision designs with varying
density materials and in varied colours for the Thalassic Mask project, which was the first time he employed multi-colour material jetting PolyJet technology.
Nassetti co-founded MHOX, EU-funded research practice and start-up that uses computational methodologies and 3D printing to build radical artefacts and wearable devices.
MHOX’s contribution to generative design was recognized internationally thanks to a multitude of experimental projects, including Collagene, Carapace, and Superabundance Masks, Generative Orthoses,
the ENEA walking stick, and prosthetic designs.
