P5js Code LinkSometimes, I notice that people around me, including myself, often suppress their emotions by putting on a “social mask” to hide how they truly feel. This observation inspired me, and I hope this project can encourage self-care and support mental health. Through exploring contrasts in expressions, I aim to take off this mask and help people connect with their true emotions, giving them the space to express what’s really in their hearts.
In this project, users sit in front of a camera, where the camera detects their facial expressions and displays these expressions on the left screen. Simultaneously, the system generates a contrasting facial expression, which reflects their possible genuine emotional state. For example, a smile might be transformed into a sad expression, or a shock might be muted to a neutral. This contrast highlights how society often shapes and constrains emotional expression.
I started to sktech out by visualising the "mirror." I thought about adding the social mask on the genuie facial expression of people in front of the camera. Or, convert the facial expressions to a bubble.
I started with the smiling face and tried to make the mouth points conversed. The screen is split into two parts: the left shows the original face key points, while the right shows changed key points based on the detected expression. The program detects expressions by comparing the positions of specific face points, like the corners of the mouth, to a neutral face. Depending on whether the expression is a smile, sadness, or neutral, it changes the key points differently.
