(Female Mask - Igbo People)
I have been working with mask making the last few weeks. They
are simple, self-drying clay masks. Now
that one of them is ready for some paint I have started to look it at more as a
symbol. Today, when I looked at it though I realized it was quite grotesque and
well, in a word hideous. But in all its ugliness, that is what masks can be for
us. The beauty is that a mask can be whatever we want it to be and used
for a diverse array of purposes.
(Okuyi Mask - Punu People)
What happens when we peel away the mask and expose ourselves
fully to the world?
What does the mask allow us to be that we can’t otherwise
be?
Is the mask a conduit to spirit?
Does the mask inherently possess spirit?
These are all things I have been thinking about and then
Paul Laurence Dunbar’s beautiful poem popped into my head. Now, I can’t get it out
of my head. I am sharing it here with you:
We Wear the Mask
By Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906)
WE wear the mask that grins and lies,
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,—
This debt we pay to human guile;
With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,
And mouth with myriad subtleties.
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,—
This debt we pay to human guile;
With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,
And mouth with myriad subtleties.
Why should the world be over-wise,
In counting all our tears and sighs?
Nay, let them only see us, while
We wear the mask.
In counting all our tears and sighs?
Nay, let them only see us, while
We wear the mask.
We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries
To thee from tortured souls arise.
We sing, but oh the clay is vile
Beneath our feet, and long the mile;
But let the world dream otherwise,
We wear the mask!
To thee from tortured souls arise.
We sing, but oh the clay is vile
Beneath our feet, and long the mile;
But let the world dream otherwise,
We wear the mask!
Food for thought...
Wow! I just led a mask making workshop on Saturday. We used plaster. What kind of clay are you using for these masks? I'd like to give it a try.
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Szmeralda
Szmeralda, I am doing self-drying clay masks in an Expressive Arts Workshop, also using that gauze cloth that has been dipped in plaster for sculptural forms and will begin in with papier mache soon. I am finding it to be a healing activity. The exquisite masks I posted here, are done by some amazing artists that I have identified. If you look underneath each image, you will see what group of people made them. Nice to hear from you! Hope your workshop went well!.
ReplyDeleteAcclaimed author Anne Rice posted a link to this article about Neolithic Spirit Masks today on FB. Thought some of you might be interested if you liked this post: http://www.timesofisrael.com/eerie-neolithic-masks-to-make-israel-museum-debut/
ReplyDelete