NO LONGER HUMAN
A book cover reimagined as a collapsing mask.
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This piece is a sculptural reinterpretation of No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai—part book cover, part retelling, and part reliquary. At its center is a lion mask rendered in layered, painted paper, constructed to mirror the fragmented identity of the novel’s protagonist. Like the book itself, the mask unfolds in parts—each layer peeling back to reveal handwritten notes and hidden meanings beneath the surface.
I began by designing the structure digitally in Photoshop, building it out layer by layer, much like storyboarding a pop-up book. From there, each segment was laser-cut from heavy paper stock, hand-painted, and individually assembled. Although the process was experimental, it came together unexpectedly during the first build, guided by my longstanding fascination with paper as both a material and a metaphor.
The resulting work invites viewers to interact with it slowly, reflectively—mirroring the emotional excavation that defines the novel. It is as much about what is hidden as what is seen.
More Works
SQUANBERT.COM
©2025
More Works
SQUANBERT.COM
©2025
NO LONGER HUMAN
A book cover reimagined as a collapsing mask.
Know More
This piece is a sculptural reinterpretation of No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai—part book cover, part retelling, and part reliquary. At its center is a lion mask rendered in layered, painted paper, constructed to mirror the fragmented identity of the novel’s protagonist. Like the book itself, the mask unfolds in parts—each layer peeling back to reveal handwritten notes and hidden meanings beneath the surface.
I began by designing the structure digitally in Photoshop, building it out layer by layer, much like storyboarding a pop-up book. From there, each segment was laser-cut from heavy paper stock, hand-painted, and individually assembled. Although the process was experimental, it came together unexpectedly during the first build, guided by my longstanding fascination with paper as both a material and a metaphor.
The resulting work invites viewers to interact with it slowly, reflectively—mirroring the emotional excavation that defines the novel. It is as much about what is hidden as what is seen.
More Works
SQUANBERT.COM
©2025
NO LONGER HUMAN
A book cover reimagined as a collapsing mask.
Know More
This piece is a sculptural reinterpretation of No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai—part book cover, part retelling, and part reliquary. At its center is a lion mask rendered in layered, painted paper, constructed to mirror the fragmented identity of the novel’s protagonist. Like the book itself, the mask unfolds in parts—each layer peeling back to reveal handwritten notes and hidden meanings beneath the surface.
I began by designing the structure digitally in Photoshop, building it out layer by layer, much like storyboarding a pop-up book. From there, each segment was laser-cut from heavy paper stock, hand-painted, and individually assembled. Although the process was experimental, it came together unexpectedly during the first build, guided by my longstanding fascination with paper as both a material and a metaphor.
The resulting work invites viewers to interact with it slowly, reflectively—mirroring the emotional excavation that defines the novel. It is as much about what is hidden as what is seen.
More Works
©2025