designboom · Creativity & design

Freddie Yauner's Mirror Mask: An 'Anti-Selfie' Exploring Perception

Artist Freddie Yauner discusses his Mirror Mask, an object that replaces the wearer's reflection with their surroundings, challenging notions of identity and selfie culture.

The Mirror Mask, conceived at the Royal College of Art, evolved from an experiment into a commentary on identity and perception. Yauner calls it an 'anti-selfie' for reversing the self-portrait focus to the environment.

The project began when Yauner found a mirror with eyeholes, shifting his focus from phones to perspective. His filmmaking background found a new medium in the mask for recording a point of view.

Connecting to the self as constructed, Yauner references 'I is another.' The mask removes the face, integrating the environment into the portrait, unlike the selfie.

An unexpected interaction occurs when others see their reflection in the mask. Yauner explored group dynamics with 100 masks, creating shifting fields of reflections.

Initially meant to shift focus from the self, the Mirror Mask became a viral social media image, highlighting its compelling visual nature.

Yauner sees the mask as an 'analog filter' and is developing a digital version to explore this relationship further.

Yauner wants others to use the mask, believing 'more people means more stories.' He envisions it as a tool for expression or a toy that changes perception.

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