-Like them or loathe them-

Yesterday at Technopolis we hosted a workshop where we showed teenagers how facemasks can become a powerful symbol of expression in challenging times.

I asked them: “How do you experience wearing a facemask?” One of the 9 years olds answered very enthusiastically: “I don’t need to wear one!”. While anE other teenage girl looked down and told us quiet and honestly: “It’s very frustrating !”

We are being raised with habitually instructing our hands to loop two elastic bands behind our ears to secure our masks and face coverings in a daily routine that’s now become as familiar as brushing our teeth.

The face masks are a visual reminder to everyone that an invisible virus is looming. It is taking away the personal interaction. What is the proper etiquette to meet new schoolmates or colleagues?

But like them or not, as masks have become normalised, they have also become personalised. So when they asked me to invent a STEM workshop for teenagers it was an easy choice!️