Conclusion: From Face to Mask to Avatar?

What happens when pop stars wear a rigid mask as their public face for an extended period of time? Starting from this question, I worked through the different layers of the mask, discussing their various functions in the constitution, formation, and memory of the persona. It became clear that the mask does not denote a clear role, but rather translates the constitutive tension between role and person into an image, thus opening up new possibilities for design processes. This strategy becomes increasingly attractive under the conditions that have characterized pop music since the 1980s.