A Vociferous Silence

Installation

May 1

Written By Jiyao Zhang

Reactive masks that allow people to put themselves in someone else’s “faces”

ROLE

Solo Project

EXHIBITION

New Frontier exhibition, May 2019

Embodiment is a word often used in VR experiences. However, what would embodiment feel like when visual is not much involved? Would it be possible to design an immersive experience utilizing experiencer’s expectation, body gesture, physical touch, and hearing?

The experience of “A Vociferous Silence” invites visitors to put their faces into the masks and cover their ears. A voice is heard through bone conduction activated by physical touch. What the user hears creates the illusion of having a voice in their head. The narration reveals different aspects of the face owner’s self-image.

Design Principles

Simple Interaction

Less commitment for the experiencer and it helps to provid a clear userflow.

Surprising Moments

“What you see is not what you experience; what you experience cannot be recreated.” Take the experiencer’s expectation into consideration.

Multisensory Involvement

To achieve embodiment, it is important to make sure multiple senses are involved in the process.

Self-contained Installation

For easier shipment and installation at different exhibitions, these masks should be self-contained with the only requirement of plugging to a power source when installed.

Three Masks, Three Aspects

There are three masks in this series. Each mask focuses on one of the following aspects: negativity, positivity, and uncertainty.

Experiencer's body gesture is forced to change when experiencing the installation. From negativity, uncertainty to positivity, their back gradually rises because of different heights of the masks.