The Alga facemask is constructed from a rigid copper frame and fine netting, embedded with sea moss and white pearls. Operating as an additive prosthetic layer, the convex dome establishes a physical threshold that regulates the relationship between viewer and subject. Suspended over the features of the face, it functions as a mechanism of staged visibility: like many adornments, it is worn both to invite the gaze of others and to construct a protective refuge behind which the wearer can hide. The structure activates a controlled, voyeuristic distance that transforms the face into a spectacle while simultaneously withdrawing the subject into concealment. By enabling the viewer to look without direct confrontation, the mask constructs an asymmetrical power dynamic between the observer and the observed. Yet, the wearer remains an active, embodied subject; shielded behind the net, they hold full awareness of being watched, actively observing the observer and returning the gaze from within the structure. It operates within a regime of viewing where the body is framed as an object of evaluation while retaining its own performative agency, navigating the tension between attraction, spatial boundary, and identity. Through this interplay, the piece exposes the mechanics of the gaze, mediating between physical presence and sartorial representation. It fastens with four copper hoops and a velvet ribbon at the back of the head. This piece is 1/1 and handmade in our studio in Athens.
