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Mona Gao

@imonagao

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WHAT A SURPRISE!!!!!! by @imonagao

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3 days ago

FUTURE FACE-CHANGING THEATRE｜BIOMATERIAL SAMPLE ARCHIVEThis is not a finished material, but an archive of repeated biomaterial trials behind Future Face-Changing Theatre.Many samples failed: some were too thin, some too thick; some cracked, some became mouldy; some were too soft, while others became too rigid to be worn or shaped.Because biomaterials are unstable and sensitive to thickness, humidity, drying time, pigment, temperature and handling, the process became a continuous negotiation with the material itself.But I really enjoy this uncertainty. Each failed sample becomes part of the research, helping me understand how a future face-changing mask might become softer, more translucent, more bodily and more alive.I will keep experimenting until I find the material system that feels right.—未来川剧变脸剧场｜生物材料样本档案这不是一个完成的材料，而是《Future Face-Changing Theatre》背后反复进行的生物材料实验档案。很多样本都是失败的：有的太薄，有的太厚；有的开裂，有的发霉；有的太软，无法成型；有的又太硬，无法真正贴合身体和脸部。因为生物材料本身充满不可控性，它会受到厚度、湿度、干燥时间、色素、温度和操作方式的影响，所以整个过程更像是在不断和材料协商。但我很享受这种不确定性。每一次失败的样本都成为研究的一部分，也让我更接近一种柔软、半透明、可被身体激活的未来脸谱材料。我会继续实验，直到找到真正理想的材料系统。#FutureFaceChangingTheatre #BioMaterial #MaterialResearch #MaskDesign #CentralSaintMartins by @imonagao

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4 days ago

So fast✨#ualgrads2026 #csm #narrativeenvironments by @imonagao

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10 days ago

FUTURE FACE-CHANGING THEATRE｜BIO-MATERIAL FABRICATION PROCESSA short process documentation of the bio-material experiments behind Future Face-Changing Theatre.Through material preparation, liquid casting, pigment integration, chromatic binding, bio-film curing and membrane demoulding, the mask begins to move away from a fixed object and becomes a soft, translucent material surface.For me, this process is about reimagining the Sichuan Opera face-changing mask through skin, membrane, colour and future material systems.—未来川剧变脸剧场｜生物材料制作过程这是《Future Face-Changing Theatre》背后生物材料实验的制作过程记录。从材料准备、液体浇筑、色彩融合、成膜固化，到最后的薄膜脱模，脸谱不再只是一个固定的物件，而逐渐成为一种柔软、半透明、可被身体与空间重新激活的材料表面。对我来说，这个过程是在通过皮肤、薄膜、颜色与未来材料系统，重新想象川剧变脸中的脸谱。#FutureFaceChangingTheatre #BioMaterial #MaskDesign #SichuanOpera #CentralSaintMartins by @imonagao

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15 days ago

FUTURE FACE-CHANGING THEATRE｜OVERSIZED WHITE COSTUMEA 2–3 metre long white costume designed for the theatre exhibition area of Future Face-Changing Theatre.This oversized garment is not only a costume, but also a spatial archive of the five mask identities. Text, attitude statements and colour identities are projected across the translucent skirt, turning the body into a moving surface of memory, belief and transformation.Here, typography becomes texture.The costume becomes space.And the female body becomes the centre of the mask system.—未来川剧变脸剧场｜巨型白色戏服这是一套为《Future Face-Changing Theatre》剧场展览区域设计的 2–3 米长巨型白色戏服。它不只是一件服装，也是一种承载五种脸谱身份的空间档案。文字、态度宣言与颜色身份被投射在半透明裙摆上，让身体成为记忆、信念与身份转换的流动界面。在这里，文字成为肌理。戏服成为空间。女性身体成为脸谱系统的中心。#FutureFaceChangingTheatre #CostumeDesign #TextileArt #PerformanceCostume #CentralSaintMartins by @imonagao

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24 days ago

FUTURE FACE-CHANGING THEATRE｜FIRST TRIAL PERFORMANCEA short documentation of the first trial performance of Future Face-Changing Theatre, performed live at Central Saint Martins, UAL on 18 June 2026.This performance brought together Sichuan Opera face-changing, mask, costume, body, colour and movement to explore shifting identities through a contemporary theatrical system.For me, this was the moment where research, training, material experimentation, digital imagination and embodied practice came together in front of an audience.Thank you to everyone who performed, supported and witnessed this work.Lead Performer / Project / Mask / Costume Mengnan (Mona) Gao @imonagaoPerformers Madison Luo @madisonismaddie Carolina Manríquez Poblete @carolinamanriqz Chris Snyder @mycringefashionaccount Krista Pearl McAtee @kristastinks Marie Thellier @mwarwiee Jinjin He @suisan0224Cinematography / Photography @zhou83811 @serena_wmqFuture Face-Changing Theatre continues.—未来川剧变脸剧场｜首次试演这是《Future Face-Changing Theatre》首次试演的现场记录。作品于2026年6月18日在 Central Saint Martins, UAL 完成表演。这场表演将川剧变脸、脸谱、戏服、身体、颜色与动作结合在一起，通过一个当代剧场系统探索身份的流动与转换。对我来说，这是研究、训练、材料实验、数字想象与身体实践第一次在观众面前汇合的时刻。谢谢所有参与、支持并见证这件作品的人。#FutureFaceChangingTheatre #FutureOfFaceChanging #SichuanOpera #FaceChanging #PerformanceArt by @imonagao

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a month ago

Thank you to everyone who performed, supported and witnessed Future Face-Changing Theatre.This first trial performance would not have been possible without the trust, energy and presence of each performer.Thank you for entering the mask system with me, carrying each colour identity, and helping this project become a live theatrical moment.Lead Performer / Project / Mask / CostumeMengnan (Mona) Gao @imonagaoPerformersMadison Luo @madisonismaddieCarolina Manríquez Poblete @carolinamanriqzChris Snyder @mycringefashionaccountKrista Pearl McAtee @kristastinksMarie Thellier @mwarwieeJinjin He @suisan0224Cinematography / Photography@zhou83811@serena_wmqFuture Face-Changing Theatre continues.—谢谢所有参与、支持并见证 Future Face-Changing Theatre 的人。这次首次试演能够发生，离不开每一位表演者的信任、能量与在场。谢谢你们和我一起进入这个脸谱系统，承载不同的颜色身份，也让这个项目真正成为一个发生在现场的剧场时刻。#FutureFaceChangingTheatre #FutureOfFaceChanging #SichuanOpera #FaceChanging #PerformanceArt by @imonagao

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a month ago

FUTURE FACE-CHANGING THEATRE｜FIRST TRIAL PERFORMANCEOn 18 June 2026, Future of Face-Changing was performed live at Central Saint Martins, UAL.This performance brought together Sichuan Opera face-changing, mask, costume, body, colour and movement to explore shifting identities through a contemporary theatrical system.For me, this was not only a performance, but also a moment where research, training, material experimentation, digital imagination and embodied practice came together in front of an audience.Thank you to everyone who witnessed, supported and performed with me.Lead Performer / Project / Mask / CostumeMengnan (Mona) Gao @imonagaoGuest PerformersMadison Luo @madisonismaddieCarolina Manríquez Poblete @carolinamanriqzChris Snyder @mycringefashionaccountKrista Pearl McAtee @kristastinksJinjin He @suisan0224Cinematography / Photography@zhou83811@serena_wmqFuture Face-Changing Theatre continues.—未来川剧变脸剧场｜首次试演2026年6月18日，《Future of Face-Changing》在 Central Saint Martins, UAL 完成了现场表演。这场表演将川剧变脸、脸谱、戏服、身体、颜色与动作结合在一起，通过一个当代剧场系统探索身份的流动与转换。对我来说，这不只是一场表演，也是研究、训练、材料实验、数字想象与身体实践第一次在观众面前汇合的时刻。谢谢所有来到现场、支持我、并和我一起完成这场表演的人。#FutureFaceChangingTheatre #FutureOfFaceChanging #SichuanOpera #FaceChanging #PerformanceArt by @imonagao

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a month ago

FUTURE FACE-CHANGING THEATREProject by Mengnan Gao (Mona) + collaborators@imonagao Future Face-Changing Theatre is a biodigital immersive performance that reimagines Sichuan Opera face-changing through film, spatial design, biomaterial masks, sound, and interactive systems. Centred on Mu Guiying, a legendary female general, it challenges the rule of ‘passed to men, not women’. Through a mirror-driven system activated by gesture, audiences become embodied participants in a living archive of fluid identities. MA Narrative Environments 2026#IntangibleCulturalHeritage #BiodigitalPerformance #ImmersiveTheatre #CSM26 #UALShowcase by @imonagao

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a month ago

Future Face-Changing Theatre｜Colour Identity FieldA still image and spatial application of the Colour Identity Engine.The digital mask field is projected onto the central performance screen, turning colour, facial patterns and symbolic identities into a living visual archive within the theatre space.Here, the mask system becomes both an image and an environment: a constellation of faces, colours, data and transformation.未来川剧变脸剧场｜颜色身份场域这是 Colour Identity Engine 的静帧图像与空间应用版本。数字脸谱场域被投射到中央表演屏幕上，将颜色、脸谱图案与象征身份转化为剧场空间中的动态视觉档案。在这里，脸谱系统既是一张图像，也是一种环境：由面孔、颜色、数据与身份转换共同构成的视觉星图。#FutureFaceChangingTheatre #SichuanOpera #ColourIdentity #MaskSystem #DigitalTheatre by @imonagao

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a month ago

Future Face-Changing Theatre｜Colour Identity EngineA continuation of the Interactive Mask System.Here, colour is not treated as decoration, but as a generative force within the mask system. Each colour carries a different emotional, symbolic and bodily identity, forming a digital field where face-changing becomes data, movement and atmosphere.This is an early visual study of how colour identities could emerge, circulate and transform inside the future face-changing theatre.未来川剧变脸剧场｜颜色身份引擎这是互动脸谱系统的延续实验。在这个系统中，颜色并不是装饰，而是脸谱身份生成的一部分。每一种颜色都承载着不同的情绪、象征与身体状态，并在数字场域中形成一种流动、聚合和转换的身份能量。这是关于五色脸谱身份如何在未来川剧变脸剧场中生成、循环与变化的早期视觉实验。#FutureFaceChangingTheatre #SichuanOpera #InteractiveDesign #DigitalTheatre #MaskSystem by @imonagao

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a month ago

Future Face-Changing Theatre｜Interactive Mask SystemAn interactive prototype exploring how the body can activate different mask identities through Sichuan Opera face-changing.In this system, the participant’s presence becomes a trigger: colour, facial pattern, movement and digital interface respond to the body, transforming face-changing from a hidden stage technique into a visible identity system.This is an early prototype of how the mask, the body and the interface begin to communicate.未来川剧变脸剧场｜互动脸谱系统这是一个关于“身体如何触发脸谱身份”的互动原型实验。在这个系统中，观众的身体成为触发器：颜色、脸谱图案、动作与数字界面会根据身体状态发生变化。川剧变脸不再只是舞台上的表演，而被转化为一个可被观看、感知和进入的身份系统。这是脸谱、身体与交互界面开始彼此沟通的早期原型。#FutureFaceChangingTheatre #InteractiveDesign #DigitalTheatre #MaskSystem #TouchDesigner by @imonagao

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a month ago