The gas mask was one of the more complex objects I made because it is made up of a few different parts, like the respirator, goggles and the canister. I started by using chicken wire to get the basic shape of the facemask and covering it in bubble wrap then made a respirator to fit it from cardboard. These were both then covered in parcel tape to hold them together and make them easier to shape, as the chicken wire cut my hands quite a bit (I learnt that you definitely need to wear gloves with chicken wire) .
The First Part made from chicken wire
Covered in Bubble wrap and parcel tape
The next stage was to fabricate the face section. To do this I cut out a section of fabric from the same skirt I used on the gun and pinned it to the mask, I then trimmed around the edges and did the same but with a different material on the other side of the mask. Sewing them together whilst trying to keep them tight to the shape was quite tricky as it is a complex shape and the skirt material was fragile so could tear easily. To give it a better finish, I did a seam around the edges of the fabrics so that no frayed edges show on the finished piece.
Fabricated Mask
Next I worked on the respirator by starting with covering it in a floral fabric using a glue gun. I then added a knitted edge around it to make it fit more snugly in to the facemask, this was sewn on to the fabric. For the actual respirator front section, I noticed when I visited the war museum that the holes and patterns looked like a type of crochet so I thought I would use that idea. Once this was made it was then sewn on to the respirator piece, which was attached to the mask.
With Respirator fitted
The next thing I did was create the canister for the gas mask, this was quite a simple shape to make and I simply used chicken wire, bubble wrap and parcel tape. I fabricated it with a large section of knitting but found that when it stretched to cover the shape the parcel tape showed which I didn’t like the look of. So I used a plain white cotton type fabric underneath the knitting, which gave it a much more finished look. I then attached the floral skirt fabric to the top and the bottom of the canister.
Canister for the Gas Mask
The last main section to make was the tube that connected the mask to the canister. From the pictures I could see it had an odd, spring like shape to it. One idea I had to create it was to place rounded metal wires in to the tube. However, I wanted to keep it softer so I decided the best way would be to stuff the tube and then tie things around it to give the effect. I began by making the basic tube firstly by cutting the white fabric to the right size as the inside and attaching a knitted section to the outside, which were sewn together. This was then attached to the canister by sewing but making sure the end was well sealed. To stuff it I used small polystyrene balls like in beanbags. I then sewed up the top and fixed that to the mask. To finish this off I used a mixture of purple and white ribbon and ties bows tightly around the tube to give the spring like effect but in a really feminine way.
Tube From Canister to Mask
Next I had to make the goggles, I started with some crochet around the eyeholes, which were shaped so they can hold the goggles in place without having to fix them in by glue etc. I made a template then a wooden version, which was then vacuum formed. I used general-purpose resin in the mould, which gave an amber colour to the goggles but was still slightly transparent. I used this rather than transparent resin because the colour reminded me of the sepia photographs from the WW2 era. This connection interested me because I see photos as capturing a moment in time and looking through the goggles as a physical interpretation of the photos that take you back in time.
Goggles
After I finished this however, I was a genius and dropped one of the resin goggles, so for an even pair I made some more, but I am now going to glue them in to place, because I don’t really want this happening again.
Second goggles (without Flowers)
One thing I thought would be good was to make the gas mask in to a kind of light, which goes back to the original aim of the project of making a lamp. This is because I thought that when light is shone through the goggle the lighting effect will change and be warped which was interesting. Also, I thought it further warped the idea of the original wartime product by turning it in to a homely light fixture, making it more feminine as well. To turn the gas mask in to a light I used the crochet part where the straps all tie around at the back to conceal a small led, battery powered light. I covered this with another crochet part and sewed it together but added a button so the battery could be access if needed. This means that now the gas mask can be laid down or suspended and acts as a light.
Laying down with Light (with old goggles)
Suspended with light
I am very pleased with the gas mask, its one of my favourite objects of this piece because of the extra details to make it more feminine and warped. For example the lighting point of this gives it a product element as well which is important to me in a way as I want to do product design and this questions what a product can be, which I find interesting. I would like to make the stitching on the actual mask a bit cleaner as in some places it does look very shabby, but this works in this context so it’s not so bad. Also, I found that securing resin is always a good idea, because making more can be annoying on a tight deadline.
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