Japanese Designer 3D-Prints Faces onto Ultra-Realistic Masks

These creepy masks were created with real people's faces, and they will be on sale in 2021.

| Dec 17, 2020 9:55 AM

Created: Dec 17, 2020 9:55 AM

3D-printed realistic masksShuheiokawara/Instagram

We've become accustomed to hearing the words face and mask this year, more so than we'd like, but here's an interesting mask idea: wear someone else's face.

To make that sound — slightly — less creepy, here's a little more context to that last sentence. A Japanese designer has used real people's faces to create 3D replicas of them in mask form.

You can literally be someone else for a day, or two, or more. These 3D-printed masks aren't meant to be a form of protection against any viruses, explained their creator, Shuhei Okawara to Reuters, they're mostly meant for some fun — for instance, for cosplay.

Okawara runs a mask and theatrical accessories shop in Tokyo, Kamenya Omote, for which he thought these new additions could be fun.

These masks are uber-realistic, and that's because, in October, Okawara asked anonymous Japanese adults if they'd offer their features to be recreated into realistic masks. 100 people came forward, each receiving 40,000 yen for their faces ($386).

Each person sent him photos of their face, which an artisan used to rework and 3D print into masks.

The 3D-printed masks will go on sale early next year for 98,000 yen each ($946) in Okawara's shop, reported Reuters.

The shop owner is confident his new product will sell well and hopes to expand the range of faces to include non-Japanese faces too.

"As is often the case with the customers of my shop, there are not so many people who buy (face masks) for specific purposes. Most see them as art pieces," Okawara told Reuters.

There's certainly something artistic, with a decent dose of creepiness, to these masks. People into cosplay will certainly enjoy these.

Take a look at the images below, you'll be hard-pressed to figure out if the face is real or a mask in some of these photos.

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A post shared by shuheiokawara 大川原脩平 (@shuheiookawara)

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post shared by shuheiokawara 大川原脩平 (@shuheiookawara)

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