Mask making is a very primal artistic expression. Masks have been made
by tribes for ceremony and ritual. There is symbolism with masks that
represent the “masks” we wear every day. The person we show to the
outside world can be very different to what is going on internally. This
process could be seen in its highest form as a burial of an old self
and resurrection of the new self. It is an intense project and not for
the faint at heart. Especially for those who have been wearing a certain
mask for a long time as Hinz and Ragsdell (1990) found in their study
with bulimic women. However, if I were to convince an administration
that a certain group of creative intelligent, strong individuals where
in a stage of their therapeutic process and were able to handle this AT
directive I would propose the following:
1. Mask making has the potential to help the client move from an old
persona to a new one. Masks can reveal or conceal. They can protect from
the outside or reveal a new identity. They can help a client try on a
“new face” with peers to “test the waters” before showing this new
vulnerability to the world. Masks can be a terrific fantasy expression
in bringing the subconscious to the surface. It can also be celebratory,
in a ritual of achievement or initiation.
2 I propose mask making group therapy over several sessions. Group
therapy offsets the cost of buying bandages in bulk. It justifies the
set-up and clean-up and setting aside a relatively large room with a
sink nearby to be reserved for this occasion. For approximately $150.00
which includes, large bottles of paint, a variety of brushes and a box
of bandages, this project could help 10 or more individuals in a
therapeutic setting.
3. Not only would a group setting be more cost effective it would add
to role playing and other creative expression once the masks were made.
The
mask above was made with plaster bandages (used to make casts for
broken bones) applied directly to my face. We paired up in class, and
after putting plastic around the eyes and covering my face with
vaseline, the wet bandages were applied. I recalled being in art school
years ago and after George Segal, created a sculpture by dividing into groups and applying the bandages to a portion of the volunteer's body.
George Segal "Street Crossing" 1992
It is quite a different experience when you are
the one the bandages are being applied to and slowly your eyes and
mouth are being covered as this plaster begins to harden.
The process was very unnerving both as the recpient and the applicator. The directive: (Mercyhurst Universtiy, Professor Robert Tavani)
After the mask was dry, sand and paint as realistically as possible
and add one thing, either by paint or collage, to show something about
yourself that others may not know.
My
mask represents two sides of me. When a person views my mask they would
see one eye closed and one eye opened. They may not see that right away
as half of the face is covered with red netting. I tried to make the
mask relatively realistic, though the medium doesn’t lend itself to
that, because of the coarseness of the plaster bandage. As much as I
sanded it and tried to fill in the crevices with paint the face appears
pock marked as if I had bad acne as a teen. Nonetheless, the mask gives a
sort of serious, solemn demeanor. I debated whether to let my whimsical
side come through, but I decided to try to be as honest as possible.
The red netting represents the bondage I have felt from others in my
past however, the peacock feather placed outside the netting represents
my intuition, my spiritual side that has been my strength. The eye
closed behind the mask, represents not only that bondage, but also
looking within, which that bondage forced me to do. The two sides also
represent past and future. The uncovered side looks out to the future
with hope and promise.
I was very uncomfortable both applying the mask to my partner and
having the mask applied. Before we started I was very apprehensive. I
was worried that I wasn’t going fast enough for my partner and I worried
for her internal processing. Though my partner didn’t exhibit any
discomfort, in fact, communicated in writing that she was fine and
encouraged me, I
was
still uncomfortable. I didn’t like getting her all messy. I didn’t like
being responsible for her mask, in fact, I feel I did a terrible job
for her because I rushed and was nervous. In a way, I manifested my
fear, I was worried about doing a bad job and I did, and probably made
more of a mess for her. (In the end, her mask looked great and was able
to sand it into submission) I am not used to working with someone else
in my artwork. I have always been uncomfortable creating in a crowd or
group. If someone asked me to demonstrate at an art fair, the only way I
would do it is I had an almost complete piece and did the final
touches. Interestingly, as a private art teacher demonstrating, I don’t
have that apprehension at all.
On the receiving end of the mask making, it was hard to trust someone I
barely know, to cover my face in a hardening medium. I have taken a mud
bath in Calestoga,
CA. and remember having to get over the whole "being buried in alive"
reaction. Stepping into a vat of heavy warm mud and then having it
applied to your face and shoulders was quite an experience. Because
this was new, in a classroom setting, I wasn’t sure how I’d feel once I
had my eyes and mouth covered. I have worked with plaster before, and I
remembered it got hot, so I expected to feel a suffocating feeling. The
plaster felt cool, and I knew I could take the mask off at any time if I
had to. I did ask my partner through writing to please hurry, I didn’t
care if it was sloppy, and I just wanted to get done. As a much older
student, I’m already a bit insecure about my age and the way I look as I
grow older. Though I see most of my fellow students as my daughters--as
a woman I didn’t like being that vulnerable covered in Vaseline and
without makeup.When I admitted that to myself , I chastised myself
immediately for being so superficial. I feel pretty certain, if I were
in my twenties it wouldn’t be as bad, because then, I was free spirited
and liked challenges. I may have even seen it like a spa as some of the
other students may have. Now life has knocked me down so much, I’m a
little uneasy on my feet, and find I am much more sensitive. The
experience almost felt medical, it reminded me of all the things that a
friend of mine had gone through. It was hard enough imagining him in a
full body cast, now I had a bit of an experience in a facial cast and
frankly, I don’t know how he did it.
As much as the mask as a symbol seems like an obvious metaphor, the process was what made this experience revealing.
To read more about Mask-Making including a brief history:
References
Dunn-Snow
PhD, ATR-BC, Peggy and & Susan Joy-Smellie BA, CCLS (2000):
Teaching Art Therapy Techniques: Mask-making, A Case in Point, Art
Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, 17:2, 125-131
No comments:
Post a Comment