Sensory Isolation Mask, Vedant Urumkar

DEX 2018
Pareid: Hadin + Deborah
Rehacking the Humansphere
Vedant Urumkar

SENSORY ISOLATION MASK

The Sensory Isolation Mask works by creating an isolation from the surrounding and elevating one of the senses of the human body. It aims to recreate a past experience which is connotated around fear and anxiety in an attempt to overcome a phobia or if not reduce its effects (a process known as exposure treatment). The mask utilizes two aspects: the experience that is Claustrophobia, for example the scenario of exploration through the middle of two rocky terrains in a small gap, and its effects for example sweating, difficulty breathing, elevated heart rates this in turn would induce anxiety. The mask of memory foam being tied together by string to create an effect of a face with with bumps with promote touching and play arranged systematically according to the sinus cavity. The mask is targeted towards an audience who are claustrophobic or have fears which have similar effects and want to overcome it. The scenario consists of two parts: The excitement of exploration (Exterior of the mask) and the notion of claustrophobia (Interior of the mask).


Overall layout
Link to the folder of images
The mask can be utilized both by a single person or two people (one wearing while the other interacting). Interacting with two people will ensure that you don't have control over the effects. When you interact with the mask and play with the exterior surface due to the flexibility of the memory foam, it pushes onto the interior which is built according to breathing point of the face and when pushed against creates an experience of being unable to breathe. Additionally, the eyes create a dizzy effect by a bundle of straws and when looked through will provide a distorted vision. All these effects are the ones which are caused while experiencing claustrophobia. It is known that one way to fight anxiety caused by claustrophobia is by exposure treatment and the mask provides an alternative besides actually being at the location by recreating the effects.

Testing: Memory foam squeezing 

Mask Workflow
Link to the full video