THALASSIC MASKS
Thalassic reimagines the protective mask, transforming a utilitarian medical product born of emergency, into an artistic statement that expresses contemporary identities.
During the pandemic, microbial-filtering masks became essential devices – integrated extensions of the human body, enabling social interaction in a radically altered world. Beyond Covid-19, the growing impact of climate change and the disruption of ecological systems, such as increasing air pollution and atmospheric transformation, suggest that protective devices may become even more vital in daily life.
Anticipating this shift, Thalassic proposes an artistic speculation to upgrade and transform these devices. The project seeks to interpret and express new pandemic and post-pandemic identities, while radically rethinking the relationship between technology, wearable objects, and the human body.
This work was developed within the framework of Re-FREAM, part of the EU funded S+T+ARTS programme. Thalassic emerges from a multidisciplinary collaboration between artists Filippo Nassetti and Vincenzo Reale, Stratasys, and Empa.
Leveraging advanced digital design and manufacturing techniques, in combination with experimental data, Thalassic developed biomimetic methods that simulate natural systems to generate novel wearable forms.
The project draws inspiration from marine organisms – hence the name Thalassic, as something belonging to the depth of the sea. Jellyfish, corals, and sea anemones, filter water to extract oxygen and nutrients through intricate inner structures. These aquatic creatures often rely on deceptive, morphing appearances as strategies for camouflage or predation. Aesthetics becomes a survival mechanism. 
Combining computational design and 3D printing, the team was able to define structures in the designs of the masks with extreme precision. Layer after layer, polymer material were deposited onto a fine chiffon fabric, with flexibility, colour and structure carefully calibrated through digital models.
Thermal studies of the human head, mapping areas of heat distribution, were translated into adaptive algorithms that informed the design of the masks – modulating material placement and internal structures to enhance functionality.
To some extent, this collection of masks represents a possible vision of human evolution, shaped not by the slow processes of biology, but by technological extension and bodily augmentation through design.
As the pandemic reshaped our world, so too did it reshape identity, reflected in what we wear or could wear. In this sense, Thalassic is not just about wearable objects, but a broader reflection on how sudden global events transform our lives, bodies, and ways of being.
ARTISTS
Filippo Nassetti, Vincenzo Reale
TECHNOLOGY PARTNERS
STRATASYS | Creative Director       Naomi Kaempfer
STRATASYS | PolyJet Technology Expert       Boris Belocon
STRATASYS | Demo Team Leader RND Testing        Yossi Siso
STRATASYS | Application Engineer       Hila Desheh
STRATASYS | Technology used Stratasys J850™ 3DFashion™ 
HARATECH | Engineer, M&P Engineering    Guillaume Clement
HARATECH – Christof Jakowitsch – Prototyping
Empa | Senior Scientist     Agnes Psikuta
Empa - Ivo Rechsteiner -Technician
Fashion & Technology (UFG) Design Expert     Sander Hofstee
REFREAM HUB LINZ
Creative Region Linz & Upper Austria | Manager Hub Linz  Verena Traunmüller + Claudia Kappl   
Creative Region Linz & Upper Austria | Lead Financial Manager   Georg Tremetzberger
Creative Region Linz & Upper Austria | Communications Manager   Wolfgang Gumplmaier-Mach
Creative Region Linz & Upper Austria I Lead Project Coordinator    Gisa Schosswohl
EXTERNAL CONSULTANCY
Pattern Prototyping    Antonietta Canta
Tailoring Orhan London Tailoring
PHOTO AND VIDEO
Photographer Paul Farnham
Videographer Olga Kott
Stylist Zita Fodor
Grooming Jessica Kell 
Talents Ayo + Webster @ D1 
Pfion Vince @ Mr Talent
Digital Assistant Gaston Torres
Studio Lemonade Factory

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