This object was created using bars of white soap, which initially evoked associations related to hygiene and health—among others—but through a process of searching for meaning, led to the idea of protection and safety inspired by the current context of a global pandemic.
The current situation, provoked by an airborne contagious virus that paralyzes us and demands protocols and isolation behaviors, triggered a perception of the compulsory use of soap and protective masks. From the association of these elements emerged the idea of a barrier, formally inspired by gas masks, surgical masks, sanitary helmets, and insulating diving suits.
Viruses are cellular parasites, as they lack the ability to live independently. They reproduce by using the machinery of the cells they infect, bypassing the body's defense systems and remaining latent, waiting for the right moment to reproduce. A weakened immune system -stress, fatigue, poor nutrition, etc.- facilitate a virus’s entry into the body. Generally speaking, what attracts a “virus” to our energy field is another energy of the same or similar quality. I believe that the most compelling energy for psycho-energetic viruses is fear. Fear is a real, tangible energy, natural to all human beings, and -in a pandemic scenario- it has been the key factor behind worldwide behavioral changes.While fear is a necessary energy for survival—it leads us to be cautious and avoid dangerous situations—too much fear paralyzes us, weakens us, prevents us from moving forward, from experiencing, and therefore from evolving.
A toxic psychological environment limit and sicken us—therefore, this soap helmet appears as an ally to help overcome the toxicity that overwhelm us at times. The encapsulating design and the scent of the soap material isolate and transport the user to new sensations, that may release the mind from fear.
Its use is very simple. You place it over your head and leave it there until it has fulfilled its purpose, like a protective hat. The aim is to distance our thoughts from the toxic fear and uncertainty emanating from the media, social networks, screens in general, and from people who spread these toxic emotions around us.
This helmet is not intended to be magical, scientific, playful, or therapeutic. On the contrary, it was conceived as a poetic object.
