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Frank, Dirk, Hinter der Maske, auf Abstand oder im digitalen Raum: Wo können sich Menschen in Zeiten der Pandemie begegnen, wie kann ein geselliger Austausch stattfinden?, 2021

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Frank, Dirk, Hinter der Maske, auf Abstand oder im digitalen Raum: Wo können sich Menschen in Zeiten der Pandemie begegnen, wie kann ein geselliger Austausch stattfinden?, 2021

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OPUS 4 | Hinter der Maske, auf Abstand oder im digitalen Raum : wo können sich Menschen in Zeiten der Pandemie begegnen, wie kann ein geselliger Austausch stattfinden?

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Die Coronapandemie hat zu einem massiven Schwund an physischen Begegnungen und Treffen geführt. Was bedeutet es aber, seinen Mitmenschen nur noch in der Zoom-Konferenz, mit Maske und großem Abstand oder gar nicht mehr zu begegnen, welche Folgen hat das für das gesellschaftliche Miteinander? Und wie…

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Saskia Trebing, Impf-Fotos. Zeige deine Pflaster, Monopol, 10.05.2021

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Saskia Trebing, Impf-Fotos. Zeige deine Pflaster, Monopol, 10.05.2021

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Zeige deine Pflaster: Impf-Fotos sind die Bilder des Frühjahrs 2021

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Vor der Pandemie waren Spritzen in den Oberarm etwas sehr Persönliches. Nun werden überall Fotos von Corona-Impfungen geteilt. Die Bilder sind die umgekehrte Version von Siegfrieds Bad im Drachenblut - und ein politisches Bekenntnis

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Marta Dynel, COVID-19 memes going viral: On the multiple multimodal voices behind face masks, 2020

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Marta Dynel, COVID-19 memes going viral: On the multiple multimodal voices behind face masks, 2020

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COVID-19 memes going viral: On the multiple multimodal voices behind face masks - Marta Dynel, 2021

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Advancing the concept of multimodal voicing as a tool for describing user-generated online humour, this paper reports a study on humorous COVID-19 mask memes. The corpus is drawn from four popular social media platforms and examined through a multimodal discourse analytic lens.

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Miriam Zeh, Impf-Selfies – individueller und kollektiver Körper, in: Pop. Kultur und Kritik, Heft 19, Herbst 2021, S. 60-64

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Miriam Zeh, Impf-Selfies – individueller und kollektiver Körper, in: Pop. Kultur und Kritik, Heft 19, Herbst 2021, S. 60-64

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IMPF-SELFIES – INDIVIDUELLER UND KOLLEKTIVER KÖRPER (degruyter.com)

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IMPF-SELFIES – INDIVIDUELLER UND KOLLEKTIVER KÖRPER

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Article IMPF-SELFIES – INDIVIDUELLER UND KOLLEKTIVER KÖRPER was published on September 1, 2021 in the journal POP (volume 10, issue 2).

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The simple fabric face mask is a key agent in the fight against the global spread of COVID-19. However, beyond its role as a protective covering against coronavirus infection, the face mask is the bearer of powerful symbolic and political power and arouses intense emotions.

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Krämer, Hannes, Maskenkommunikation, Blog Kulturwissenschaftliches Institut Essen am 29.03.2021

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Krämer, Hannes, Maskenkommunikation, Blog Kulturwissenschaftliches Institut Essen am 29.03.2021

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Das Kulturwissenschaftliche Institut Essen (KWI)

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Blog des KWI (Kulturwissenschaftliche Institut Essen)

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Der Blog des KWI (Kulturwissenschaftliche Institut Essen) soll den Forschungsort noch erkennbarer machen und dessen Arbeit zur Diskussion stellen: Forschungsergebnisse und Thesen, Interventionen und Kritik, epistemische und formale Experimente, Lagebeschreibungen und Szenen aus dem Wissenschaftsalltag. Diese können von einzelnen oder mehreren vorgetragen werden, auch in vielstimmiger Weise, als Dialoge, Streitgespräche oder Interviews.

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Richard S. gestaltet seine Masken anschlussfähig an James Bridles New Aesthetic

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Auch die in Geschäften, im öffentlichen Nahverkehr und anderswo geforderten Mund-Nasen-Bedeckungen können Kunstobjekte sein! Wenn man sich schon mit diesem für uns neuen Kleidungsstück bedecken muss, kann man dabei auch besondere Akzente setzen, mit ausgefallenen Accessoires ein Hingucker sein und daneben auch Künstler fördern, die es in der momentanen Situation schwer haben.

Bei Interesse bitte direkt mit dem jeweiligen Künstler Kontakt aufnehmen, die Kontaktdaten sind angegeben.

kein Medizinprodukt, ein wirksamer Schutz ist nicht nachgewiesen. Es handelt sich dabei um Alltags- oder Community-Masken, mit denen die Bestimmungen des Gesundheitsamtes, Mund und Nase zu bedecken, erfüllt werden.

Gesichtsbedeckung als modisches Accessoire! Gesichtsbedeckung mit Transporttäschchen, Fliege und Hutband für den Herrn, Stirnband für die Dame machen aus der langweiligen Gesichtsbedeckung einen Hingucker!

Baumwolle bei 60 Grad waschbar, Fertigung nach Bestellung, verschiedene Stoffmuster, Diese Mund-Nasenbedeckung kann mit einem Filtervlies ausgestattet werden. Diese kann aus einem Staubsaugerbeutel, zB. Sebo Automatic X 370/470 geschnitten werden. Maße: ca. 7 x 22 cm

Haftungsausschuss: Diese einfache Mund-Nasenbedeckung kann eine medizinische Atemschutzmaske nicht ersetzen. Sie ist ein Notfallplan für alle, die keinen entsprechenden Schutz in den Geschäften mehr besorgen konnten. Die richtige medizinische Atemschutzmaske ist immer noch der beste Weg, um sich zu schützen.

Komplettes Set: 45 Euro inkl. Versand, Richard Schleich, Mail: Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein! ; Mobil: 0151 67793954

Sehr gut funktioniert auch das Auskochen im Kochtopf (Klares Wasser, ca.
5 Minuten kochen)

Die Gummis sind in der Größe individuell anpassbar, den Knoten kann man
anschließend im "Tunnel" verstecken..
Es ist auch möglich, die Gummis durch Bänder (z.B. Schuhbänder) zu
ersetzen, wenn der Gummi um das Ohr unbequem ist.
Vordere Länge bei Gr. M: ca. 15 cm
ohne Draht.

Abstrakt - 02 Gr. M

mit Gummiband (schwarz) und grau-kariertem Innenfutter

Abstrakt - Gr. M
mit Gummiband (schwarz) - Futter: grau-kariert

Faltmasen mit Nasendraht und verstellbaren Gummibändern - können auch
durch Schnüre ersetzt werden....
Waschbar bis 60°C - Bügeln von beiden Seiten möglich:

Löwenzahn - Breite 19 cm Futter: grau-kariert
Preis: €19

Mohn - Breite 20 cm Futter: grau-gestreift
Preis: € 19

Mohnt - Breite 19 cm Futter: grau-gestreift
Preis: € 19

Mohn auf grün-kariert, Futter: gelb-kariert

Löwenzahn auf Streifen, Futter: gelb-kariert

Durch die besondere Form, bei der die Maske gut anliegt beschlagen die Gläser deutlich weniger. An den Gummis befinden sich Silikonstopper um die Größe individuell anpassen zu können.

Desinfektion:
Bei 60°C in der Maschine oder 5 Minuten kochen im Kochtopf.
Danach von der Innenseite bügeln.

Kastanien, Futter: weiß

Herbstlaub, Futter: weiß

Eicheln, Futter: blau kariert

Herbstlaub, Futter: weiß

Eicheln, Futter: weiß

Lampionblume, Futter: weiß

Preise sind inkl. Versand innerhalb Deutschlands

Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein!
Tel: 0173/3905689

Alles Unikate: Ansicht der einzelnen Exemplare jeweils gefaltet und aufgezogen

Blätter blau auf gelb, handbedruckte Baumwolle 60 Grad waschbar, mit eingearbeitetem Draht für die Nasenanpassung, Größe S, Länge inkl. Gummibändern 34 cm; 19 Euro inkl. Versand, Ingrid Müller, Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein! oder 0160 9792 5066

Blätter blau-grün, handbedruckte Baumwolle 60 Grad waschbar, mit eingearbeitetem Draht für die Nasenanpassung, Größe S Länge inkl. Gummibändern 34 cm; 19 Euro inkl. Versand, Ingrid Müller, Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein! oder 0160 9792 5066

Maske 15

Blätter rot-gelb, handbedruckte Baumwolle 60 Grad waschbar, mit eingearbeitetem Draht für die Nasenanpassung, Größe L, Länge inkl. Gummibändern 36 cm; nur 3 Falten - weniger Stoff in der Länge, 19 Euro inkl. Versand, Ingrid Müller, Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein! oder 0160 9792 5066

Maske 16

Blätter blau-grün auf gelb, handbedruckte Baumwolle 60 Grad waschbar, mit eingearbeitetem Draht für die Nasenanpassung, Größe M Länge inkl. Gummibändern 35 cm; weniger Stoff in der Länge, 19 Euro inkl. Versand, Ingrid Müller, Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein! oder 0160 9792 5066

Maske 17

Blätter rot-gelb, handbedruckte Baumwolle 60 Grad waschbar, mit eingearbeitetem Draht für die Nasenanpassung, Größe L, Länge inkl. Gummibändern 36 cm; nur 3 Falten - weniger Stoff in der Länge, 19 Euro inkl. Versand, Ingrid Müller, Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein! oder 0160 9792 5066

Euro inkl. Versand, Ingrid Müller, Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein! oder 0160 9792 5066

Mengenrabatt bei Bestellung von mehreren Masken:
ab zwei je 15 €

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Auch die in Geschäften, im öffentlichen Nahverkehr und anderswo geforderten Mund-Nasen-Bedeckungen können Kunstobjekte sein! Wenn man sich schon mit diesem für uns neuen Kleidungsstück bedecken muss, kann man dabei auch besondere Akzente setzen, mit ausgefallenen Accessoires ein Hingucker sein und daneben auch Künstler fördern, die es in der momentanen Situation schwer haben.

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Vieles davon eher mau, aber die 'sozialkritische' Referenz mittels Hokusais Welle finde ich interessant, um damit weiterzuarbeiten.

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In den Masken entdeckt er unter anderem Kaffeetassen, Springseile und Skateboards und bindet sie so in seine Illustrationen ein. Hinter Iconeo verbirgt sich der Künstler Steffen Kraft. Illustrationen entwirft er nicht erst seit der Pandemie. Seine Bilder sind teilweise gesellschaftskritisch und spielen häufig mit Alltagsgegenständen, die er umdeutet - seine Maskenbilder reihen sich hier ein.

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Dieser Illustrator verwandelt Mund-Nasen-Masken in Kunst

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In den Masken entdeckt er unter anderem Kaffeetassen, Springseile und Skateboards und bindet sie so in seine Illustrationen ein. Hinter Iconeo verbirgt sich der Künstler Steffen Kraft. Illustrationen entwirft er nicht erst seit der Pandemie. Seine Bilder sind teilweise gesellschaftskritisch und spielen häufig mit Alltagsgegenständen, die er umdeutet - seine Maskenbilder reihen sich hier ein.

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Hofmann, Viola, "Masken", in: Pop. Kultur und Kritik, Nr. 17, 2020, S. 90-96.

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Hofmann, Viola, "Masken", in: Pop. Kultur und Kritik, Nr. 17, 2020, S. 90-96.

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Aufsatz Maske Viola Hofmann_popzeitschrift 2020

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Pandemic Objects is an editorial project that compiles and reflects on objects that have taken on new meaning and purpose during the coronavirus outbreak. During times of pandemic, a host of everyday often-overlooked 'objects' (in the widest possible sense of the term) are suddenly charged with new urgency. Toilet paper becomes a symbol of public panic, a forehead thermometer a tool for social control, convention centres become hospitals, while parks become contested public commodities. By compiling these objects and reflecting on their changing purpose and meaning, this space aims to paint a unique picture of the pandemic and the pivotal role objects play within it.

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Pandemic Objects is an editorial project that compiles and reflects on objects that have taken on new meaning and purpose during the coronavirus outbreak. During times of pandemic, a host of everyday often-overlooked 'objects' (in the widest possible sense of the term) are suddenly charged with new urgency.

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Artist Danielle Baskin has set up Resting Risk Face, a company that will print user's faces on masks so they can use facial recognition technology while wearing them.

Baskin, who is based in San Francisco, got the idea for the facial-recognition masks after seeing people using masks to try and protect against coronavirus.

"I was discussing whether or not N95 masks were effective as a protective measure against the coronavirus and someone brought up the fact that you couldn't unlock your phone while wearing one," Baskin told Dezeen.

"My immediate thought was to put a face on the mask."

N95 masks fit over the mouth and nose to protect the wearer from liquids and airborne particles. They can be used as part of an infection control strategy, but it is not yet known how effective they are against the spread of coronavirus.

Spikes in demand for N95 masks during the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak have led to shortages of them.

"I was aware that it is a bit dystopian to sell a virus-related product, so I played into the dystopia," Baskin said. Resting Risk Face describes itself as a maker of "trendy dystopian product".

"I'm waiting to make them, until there's no longer a mask shortage, but in the interim, I'm running tests on different manufacturing techniques," said Baskin.

To print the facial-recognition masks, Baskin turns a 2D photo of someone's face into a 3D image to be printed on a mask.

"The new method I'm using creates a three-dimensional mask with a contoured face that actually does unlock phones that uses depth sensors," she explained. "You just have to set it as an additional face, since it's going to be a different shape than your own."

Test results. A contoured mask works as advertised. ✔️

My new look is: Tru Depth Hazmat Bro pic.twitter.com/k9bLyTXkA4

- Danielle Baskin (@djbaskin) February 22, 2020

The facial-recognition masks went viral on social media last week.

"The combination of the coronavirus, facial recognition on our phones, fear of surveillance, and late-stage capitalism really struck a chord with the internet," said Baskin.

"The most surprising thing to me is how this spread globally so quickly. People in South Korea, Latvia, France, and China reached out to me within a few days."

"Whether it's a wildfire, a virus, or a protest, I realise humans all over the world right now can relate to the symbol of the mask."

Respirator masks have been worn by residents in Australia as out-of-control wildfires caused atmospheric pollution. In Hong Kong protesters have also adopted masks as a way of evading facial-recognition technology.

Baskin hopes that the facial-recognition masks could be useful for people who have to wear them for work or because of illness.

"So many people in the medical industry have reached out saying that they'd love these, as well as cancer-patients, people with severe seasonal allergies, and children," she said.

"Faces might be one feature, but I think other unique prints would be great for those who need to wear masks on a daily basis for life."

Woobi Play air-pollution mask is designed to appeal to children

Baskin specialises in complex printing for her other companies, which include printing logos on avocados and creating custom bicycle helmets.

Tragic situations can sometimes lead to design innovations to help keep people safe in future. After the Grenfell Tower Fire in the UK, designer Rimal Bhatt created a breathing apparatus mask that could help people evacuate from tower blocks.

Danish studio Kilo Design has made a mask for children in response to a UNICEF report that 300 million children live in places with the most toxic pollution levels.

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Facial-recognition masks let wearers unlock their phones

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Artist Danielle Baskin has set up Resting Risk Face, a company that will print user's faces on masks so they can use facial recognition technology while wearing them. Baskin, who is based in San Francisco, got the idea for the facial-recognition masks after seeing people using masks to try and protect against coronavirus.

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Our masks feature special nose darts and a contoured chin piece that prevents slipping, bunching, and gapping. Other masks in the market are flat, flimsy, and slide around-but our masks stay in place, even while talking.

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Get a mask printed with a hyper-realistic face on it, so it looks like you! Our washable face masks are personalized with a photo image you upload of yourself onto comfortable, breathable fabric. Your mask will be totally unique.

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Since its creation, Kusteez aims to offer its customers everything they need to show their work or develop their brand. From clothing, to fashion accessories and promotional items, we offer a wide range of products and printing options. Whether you're a small or big company, we can help you in every step of the way. Ask for a quote now.

Is it for yourself or for a gift? Check out our online store! We have a lot of products for you to customize: t-shirts, face masks, tote bags, etc. For any specific needs, contact us directly and we'll be glad to help you.

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Since its creation, Kusteez aims to offer its customers everything they need to show their work or develop their brand. From clothing, to fashion accessories and promotional items, we offer a wide range of products and printing options. Whether you're a small or big company, we can help you in every step of the way.

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MONTREAL -- Montreal designer Dan Atlan's face has been making a lot of people stress out -- and then smile.

"Excuse me? Can you put your mask on please?!" says someone off-camera in a TikTok video showing Atlan walking indoors, with his mask very much on.

The Kusteez designer created a mask showing the bottom of his face with a surgical hospital mask pulled below his chin. The prank masks have become a TikTok hit (see video above) generating millions of views and giving the designer a huge new online audience.

"I had the idea to make a mask that looks like I'm not wearing a mask, just to mess with people," said Atlan. "I didn't think it would blow up like it did."

Atlan said went from having 50 followers to about 130,000 in a week.

"That one video has almost 12 million views! It's nuts!" said Atlan.

Reactions to the mask have been a joy for Atlan to witness, he said, as he has found a way to make people laugh.

"It's really serious times right now and I'm a sh#t disturber. I love to bother people," he said with a laugh.

"They're so on edge today, telling you, 'Wear your mask! Please put your mask on!' So it's kind of, 'I got you!'"

Atlan admitted he doesn't get much time to design his own products during so-called normal times.

Kusteez produces promotional apparel for restaurants, stores and other clients, and most of the business is dedicated to producing those products.

With the COVID-19 pandemic, and many businesses halting operations, Atlan had more time to design some of his own work. But he was also quick to the draw in making custom masks for corporate clients who want their logos on a mask.

"We were at the forefront of the whole mask trend when the pandemic hit," said Atlan. "Offering people masks with their company logo on it, masks with sayings, patterns, and then it started becoming a whole trend."

Atlan, like most designers, has used TikTok, Instagram and other social media platforms to draw attention to his work. He has seen first-hand how hard it is to get noticed in a crowded social media landscape full of creative types trying to get noticed.

"I've been posting videos about masks and sanitary gels since the pandemic started, and Tiktok was just a way to get the message across to everyone," he said.

"It's very hard. It takes a lot of work. You can put your heart into something, thinking it's going to go viral, and then it just flops."

But he said it's been fun to see the rise of his cheeky (pun intended) mask videos -- because he made them for fun, to get a rise out of people.

"I didn't think it was going to blow up so much," said Atlan. "It's amazing... What else do you want for a business?

view larger image

Dan Atlan designed his 'face' masks as a way to mess with people and give a laugh during the pandemic. He did not expect the videos of him wearing the masks to explode like they did. SOURCE: Kusteez

'Excuse me! Can you please put on a mask?!' The jokes on you. It is a mask. SOURCE: Kusteez

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'Face' print prank masks make Montreal designer into TikTok sensation

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MONTREAL -- Montreal designer Dan Atlan's face has been making a lot of people stress out -- and then smile. "Excuse me? Can you put your mask on please?!" says someone off-camera in a TikTok video showing Atlan walking indoors, with his mask very much on.

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Not Just Coronavirus: Asians Have Worn Face Masks for Decades

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People from Japan into Southeast Asia cover their mouths to deflect exhaust, pollution and cold air, Some are hiding their faces

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MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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As The Washington Post has reported, "at the heart of the dismal U.S. coronavirus response" is a "fraught relationship with masks." With its Meaning of Masks series, which explores the myriad historic, creative, and cultural meanings of masks, the MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (SHASS) aims to offer Americans more ways to appreciate and practice protective masking - a primary means for containing the Covid-19 pandemic.
Emma J. Teng is the T.T. and Wei Fong Chao Professor of Asian Civilizations at MIT and director of MIT Global Languages. A member of the History Section faculty, she teaches courses in Chinese and East Asian culture, migration, Asian American history, and women's and gender studies. A Margaret MacVicar Faculty Fellow, Teng is the author of "Taiwan's Imagined Geography: Chinese Colonial Travel Writing and Pictures, 1683-1895" (Harvard, 2004) and "Eurasian: Mixed Identities in the United States, China, and Hong Kong, 1842-1943" (University of California, 2013). SHASS Communications spoke with her in July.
Q: Humans use masks for a variety of purposes, ranging from protection to play to artistic performance. Can you provide some examples of masks and masking drawn from your discipline?

A: In East Asia, face masks are worn for a wide range of purposes. Combating urban pollution is a top reason for many, but it's also common to wear a face mask to prevent allergies, for extra sun protection, or even because you want to run down to the corner shop anonymously and it's too early to face your neighbors.

Masks can sometimes provide a little extra privacy in densely populated East Asian cities - on the subway or train, for example. In cold and flu season, many consider it prudent to wear a face mask and carry disposable hand wipes to fight contagion. And if you have a cold yourself, you are expected as a matter of basic etiquette to wear a face mask out in public, in the office, and at school in order to protect others from possible infection.

The earliest uses of face coverings in East Asia were likely for sun protection, especially for those working long hours in the fields, or for feminine modesty in eras when it was considered inappropriate for women (particularly elite women) to show their faces in the presence of men outside their family. The use of masks as a public health measure in East Asia seems to have arisen with the 1918 influenza pandemic, becoming commonplace first in Japan. After the SARS outbreak of 2002, face masks became even more common, as did other public health measures such as incorporating antimicrobial materials into such surfaces as escalator handrails.

Q: Many countries have adopted mask-wearing as a politically neutral health measure, but that hasn't been universally true. Can you comment on the ways that culture impacts the wearing of masks?

A: In an era of globalization, it's tempting to imagine that culture doesn't matter, or is invisible. The pandemic, however, has made cultural differences highly visible, in some disturbing ways. Just months into the outbreak of Covid-19, I received an email from a reporter from The Los Angeles Times who was hoping to interview me on the seemingly strange (to many in the U.S.) Asian custom of wearing face masks. Closer to home, I heard people question why Asians in Somerville [Massachusetts] were wearing face masks "as if they aren't the problem."

With U.S. leaders referring to SARS-CoV-2 as the "Wuhan virus," "China virus," or even worse, the "kung flu," Chinese immigrants and Asian Americans more broadly suddenly found themselves objects of suspicion, xenophobia, and hate. Face masks made them all the more visible. Not surprisingly, the face mask has become one symbol of the "I am not a virus" (#JeNeSuisPasUnVirus) movement that first emerged among Asians in France.

In general, I think too much has been made of the supposed difference between American "individualism" and Asian "collectivism." However, when it comes to wearing face masks, certain aspects of culture have almost certainly been coming into play. At an MIT Starr Forum faculty panel on "When Culture Meets Covid-19," Professor Yasheng Huang of the MIT Sloan School suggested that communitarian norms in East Asian countries support the ethos that "doing something for the community good is good for me also."

This value is known as 公德心: in Mandarin, gongdexin; in Japanese, kootokushin; in Korean, kongdkshim; and in English, public-spiritedness.

Confucianism, a philosophy that has significantly influenced East Asian cultures, encourages respect for elders and care for young children. It would therefore be largely unthinkable to discuss sacrificing older people to the pandemic using a cost-benefit analysis. If wearing a face mask can help protect someone's grandparents, that is your duty. It is also considered a social responsibility to do one's part in controlling the pandemic to ensure that schools remain open for the younger generation.

Research that has emerged from East Asia over the past several months supports the efficacy of community mask wearing, even for the asymptomatic or presymptomatic, as a public health measure. Findings of a Hong Kong study published in The Journal of Infection (April 2020) showed that: "Community-wide mask wearing may contribute to the control of Covid-19 by reducing the amount of emission of infected saliva and respiratory droplets from individuals with subclinical or mild Covid-19."

The authors of "Covid-19 and Public Interest in Face Mask Use," which appeared in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine in June, noted that: "In many Asian countries like China and Japan, the use of face masks in this pandemic is ubiquitous and is considered as a hygiene etiquette, whereas in many Western countries, its use in the public is less common." Comparing rates of infection in East Asia with Western countries such as the United States, their study suggests that early public interest in using face masks "may be an independently important factor in controlling the Covid-19 epidemic on a population scale."

As an Asian studies scholar, I see this as a valuable opportunity to learn from the approaches and successes of Asian countries - for example, South Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore - in controlling the pandemic. I hope we can observe how these countries look to science to guide their public health policy and responses to the pandemic, in addition to cultural factors that support community mask-wearing. This would be far more productive than blaming the emergence of this novel coronavirus on "weird" Chinese food habits - as we saw with the so-called bat soup controversy and the media attention to wet markets - or stigmatizing mask wearing as a "strange" Asian custom.

Q: Given this history, can you speculate on ways in which people today might explore the creative possibilities of masks that are needed for protection from the virus?

A: I see face masks as an outlet for creativity and self-expression. In early April, when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finally caught up and reversed its position on face masks, surgical masks were impossible to find. The first thing I did after sewing masks for my family was to reach out to my team to say, "Who needs a mask?!"

Owning a sewing machine and a large collection of fabrics, I thought sewing masks would be a useful and creative distraction. It was fun to choose fabrics reflecting my colleagues' color and pattern preferences and to experiment with different mask designs. Reaching out to various members of the MIT community to see who might need a mask at that time of shortage helped me feel connected while working remotely. Crafting is also a good way to slow down and practice mindfulness.

Among the favorite masks I made are the one for Associate Provost Krystyn Van Vliet, which features floor plans, and the one I call "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" (after the book by Maya Angelou) for Associate Professor of Literature Sandy Alexandre. I wanted to thank both of them for their invaluable contributions to our MIT communty during this difficult time.

Another fun, creative outlet was to team up with my friend Associate Dean of Engineering Anette "Peko" Hosoi to develop an online exploration of the science and craft of face masks. This project was a good way to bring together cross-disciplinary knowledge of fabrics, designs, and usage in a very practical way and share with others.

Wearing a face mask yourself is a good way to say "I care about your health" when out in public; using your creativity to make a personalized mask for someone else is another way to say you care.
Prepared by MIT SHASS Communications
Editorial Team: Emily Hiestand and Kathryn O'Neill

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3 Questions: Historian Emma Teng on face masks as 公德心

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As The Washington Post has reported, "at the heart of the dismal U.S. coronavirus response" is a "fraught relationship with masks." With its Meaning of Masks series, which explores the myriad historic, creative, and cultural meanings of masks, the MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (SHASS) aims to offer Americans more ways to appreciate and practice protective masking - a primary means for containing the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Bourdieu.
Essen während Pandemie. Gibt es Anzeichen dafür auf Social Media. Gibt es Bubbleing Up?

Vergleich: Alte Oper mit Jugendlichen (Exzess) = BÖSE. After Work Bänker (leisure) = GUT.

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Holzengpässe. Leute fangen wieder an zu skaten.

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IMPFPFLASTERFOTOS als Zeichen, dass man die Pandemie ernst nimmt und als soziales Statment. Ist das schon „virtue signalling“?!

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Viraler Trend: Die Gesichtsmaske als Objekt der gesellschaftlichen Atomisierung

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Die Gesichtsmaske ist das sichtbarste Zeichen der Covid-19-Angst. Doch schon vor dem Coronavirus-Ausbruch hat sie als schickes, dystopisches Accessoire die Laufstege erobert. Über ein vieldeutiges Selfcare-Objekt der gesellschaftlichen Atomisierung

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Ideen: Maske und Raum. Da die Ästhetisierung der Maske quasi vom Tisch ist, weil nur noch medizinische Masken erlaubt sind, spielt die Maske und seine Verortung, sowie die Hyper-Symbolisierung der Maske, als Sinnbild der Pandemie/Apokalypse, eine größere Rolle… Maskenverweigerer*innen, Morde, usw. Gleichzeitig stellt sich die Frag, warum medizinische Masken nicht ästhetisiert werden…beispielsweise in asiatischen Ländern, in denen Masken auch vor der Pandemie genutzt wurden.

Welche Objekte stehen für komplette Weltbilder? Wegen Maske jemanden erschiessen.

Auto z.B. Raser vs. SUV-Hasser.

Gurtpflicht in den 80ern?

Welche Objekte stehen symbolisch für Krisenzeiten?