- Preliminary Sketches:
These sketches were based off of inspiration from my partner’s story and the objects she chose from the Metropolitan Museum of art. They are different ideas for masks or headpieces that I later further developed to use in my final mask. They contain similar symbols, but each have a different design. I ended up not using these exact sketches to create the final product, but I did use symbols and inspirations from each idea.
Artwork Inspiration from the Metropolitan Museum of Art:
Mask Development:
Presentation Sketch:
swiffers sewed together and chained around the body preliminary
Final Presentation:
The main focus of the project is to show the juxtaposition and intermingling of the subject’s story, which centers on her life during high school transitioning into her life now. The geometric symbols along with the story made me think of the kaleidoscope in which one’s perspective changes with a simple turn of the kaleidoscope. By taking of the mask, the person wearing it gets to feel free in contrast to the confined feeling of wearing it. This goes along with the kaleidoscope idea because perspective changes with the simple action of taking off the mask (and the chains confining the body). According to the subject’s story, she hated high school and felt confined in her hometown, L.A. She changed her perspective by graduating early and going to college in New York City, therefore freeing herself. Also, her pre-college summer programs were experiences that helped her grown, learn, and change that perspective.
The images the subject chose were a Turkish mosaic from the Ottoman Empire, Van Gogh’s “Cypresses” and Rousseau’s “Sunset near Arbonne”. The mosaic is incorporated because the many little pieces make up the mask just like the many experiences made the subject who she is today. From her summer programs to transitioning from L.A. to New York City, each detail is a small piece that forms the subject’s identity. I used the magazine mosaic technique to mimic this idea and used geometric shapes to create the whole kaleidoscope and symmetrical aesthetic. The subject gravitated towards “Sunset near Arbonne” because it reminded her of the Hell-like quality of her high school experience. I used the red colors and the symbol of the barren trees to depict the Hell imagery. Also, from “Cyrpesses” the subject was attracted to the calm colors and the lightness of the child-like brushstrokes. I incorporated the lightness through the use of bristol and tracing paper feathers and the blue tiles.
The base of the mask is made of Swiffers sewed together to fit around the face. This material is pliable and easy to sew. It also has a certain transparency which allows the viewer to somewhat see into the future, but is mostly opaque and confining. I used the mosaic’s geometric symmetry by pasting tiny magazine pieces onto shapes cut from bristol paper. The feathers also played into the symmetry as did the trees. The trees are cut from the bristol paper and I burned the edges to create the ashy Hell symbolism. This burned edge was not that apparent because I could not burn too much of the paper without it burning off. As I worked on the prototype, I darkened the trees with black gouache and colored pencil to enforce the Hell color scheme of red and black. Also as I worked to improve the prototype, I added a border of the blue mosaic pieces and the feathery fringe around the mask because the symbols transition from Hell to newfound calmness and contentedness as the images move from the center to the outside.
When taking off the mask, the wearer becomes freed of confinement. The mask acts as a confining tool as do the Swiffer chains wrapped around the body. The chains wrap the body and the process of taking them off is difficult because they stick to the body. Taking them off is a process, as is taking off the mask. This goes along with the idea that the subject changed her perspective, had new experiences, and made a change to transition from an old life to a new one.
Final Mask:
