Inspiration
Long having been a fan of the band Muse, I’ve always enjoyed their concert production value and intricate costume pieces. Specifically, I’ve loved their integration of technology and art to create visually stunning outfits for performance. In the past, I’ve created a bluetooth version of Matt Bellamy’s RGB glasses, but I wanted to create something a bit more ambitious upon the release of their then-latest album, “Will of the People.” Throughout all of their music videos and concerts, they utilized a mirrored mask as a core theme, and I attempted to create a practical version to bring to one of their shows.
Manufacturing
Wishing to utilize my background in 3D animation and modeling, I decided to start off this project by creating a model of the mask based off of a handful of reference images. As there were multiple versions of this mask used across the album’s many music videos, ranging from fully practical to fully rendered, I used a rough estimate based on the best front-facing and profile frames I could find. The resulting wireframe was then extruded into a printable mesh.
With this being my first 3D printed project, I also used this as a testbed for various print settings and techniques, ultimately deciding to slice the final piece into a series of halves that could then be later assembled into the final piece. Using a frame structure with 100% infill allowed me to create a lightweight and durable PLA frame upon which I could affix mirrored plexiglass panels to achieve the final look.
Crafting the plexiglass panels proved to be the most challenging part of this project, as at the time I was in California and didn’t have access to a full set of tools. With limited resources, I hand-cut these panels using a small saw and paper templates as a guide to help ensure proper sizing and fitment. Finally, all panels were epoxied in place with a head strap from a GoPro camera system mounted inside to ensure even weight distribution across the wearer’s head.
Final Piece
The final piece was much more durable and robust than initially expected and looked great at the final concert. Visibility was also better than expected, with the improvised GoPro mount allowing for a wide range of positional adjustment. While some aspects of the overall finish were hindered by the use of hand tools, adopting laser cutting for the mirrored panels would allow for a cleaner finish that would be easier to mass-manufacture.
