Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens were core to the development of public entertainment in the 17th century. People enjoyed the gardens in exchange for a small fee and appropriate dress. Plans of the original and current gardens both contain narrow-shaded alleyways and open meadows. The layout allows for light and darkness to coexist. In the 17th century, London’s underworld took advantage, and whilst some people enjoyed themselves during masquerades, others who were less careful were assassinated in the narrow-shaded alleyways.

Set in the past, the device aims to create a masquerade outfit for a character that would provide personal protection. In the modern world, it investigates facial recognition systems as a means to lose control over our own privacy: how, where and when we are captured and how our data is processed.

The proposal draws on two main references. The first is Edo period samurai armour to provide protection from physical danger on various levels of visibility. The atmospheric and aesthetic reference for the masquerade part of the project is predominately derived from Lady Gaga’s Chromatic World Tour scenography, with costumes that exaggerate and morph the body shape.