The School of Design (SD) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) launches the "Masters of Mask" Exhibition today (23 June) on campus to showcase a collection of innovative facemasks designed by its students on a master programme.
A group of 15 international SD students from the Masters of Design in Design Practices programme participated in a six-week intensive workshop organized by SD earlier this year. Aiming at creating innovative solutions for a new generation of "Asian Fit" protective facemasks, the students paired up and designed creative facemasks to specifically fit the Asian population both in terms of size and purposes. The designs tackle not only the issue of Asian size and fit, but also the needs of material technology, branding strategy and public health policy.
The "Masters of Mask" project has brought together expertise from the SizeChina Research Lab (SD), PolyU's School of Nursing at and Princess Margaret Hospital, Hong Kong. With new and unique design concepts, each design of the facemasks takes into consideration the specific purpose of individual user group such as bus drivers, medical personnel and firemen.
Mr Roger Ball, Associate Professor of SD and the Director of the SizeChina Research Lab, stated, "It has long been the objective of the SizeChina Research Lab to help designers produce products like protective facemasks that best fit the Asian population by using the ergonomic data collected from the Chinese population. These newly designed masks can well protect the Chinese from pollution and virus like H1N1 in an innovative and fashionable way."
Mr Ball also expressed his appreciation to the collaborators including Prof. Joanne Chung of PolyU's School of Nursing, Dr T Y Tsang and Dr Danny Tong of Princess Margaret Hospital, and Mr Arvin Chan and Miss Janis Tsui from the SizeChina Ergonomic Lab at PolyU.
The "Masters of Mask" Exhibition is open to the public at SD Gallery, School of Design, Room AG101, Core A at PolyU from 23-30 June 2009. Admission is free of charge.
More information on the Exhibition can be found at SizeChina Research Lab: www.sizechina.com and School of Design: www.sd.polyu.edu.hk
