Japanese artist Takahiro Shibata’s glasses are fogging up because of his mask — a problem familiar to many who wear eyeglasses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, Shibata has turned the annoying side effect into a one-of-a-kind piece of art: The more his glasses fog up, the hotter and steamier the soup on his “ramen mask” appears to be.
Shibata, an animator and artist, initially set out to solve the problem bugging many eyeglass wearers who don a mask to protect themselves.
Photo: Reuters
However, once he discovered that the mission was impossible, he decided instead to have some fun.
The felt and clay ramen mask, which has everything people look for in a real bowl of ramen soup, positions Shibata’s nose in the middle of braised pork, green onions, bamboo shoots and a slice of fish cake.
Shibata, who said that he wanted “to cheer people up a little bit,” has no plans to sell the mask, although he might not be wearing it much either.
“The ‘bowl’ is filled with cotton and weighs almost as much as a stuffed toy,” he said. “So it doesn’t feel comfortable when I put it on.”
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