The above photo is my presentation board for this project. It explains all the steps, materials, and final object that were included in this project. (Click on the image for full resolution)
The assignment was to represent my partners fear in a wearable garment out of paper. I decided to make a mask. In my opinion a wearing a mask is like becoming something other than yourself. It literally is putting on a new face. Masks are very invasive as they’re pressed against your face. Elisabed’s fear is very personal and deep so I wanted to connect the invasive aspect and the personal aspect together in a mask. I combined my photography skills and craftsmanship to form a simplistic mask. The mask has three parts to it. The front, the back band, and the top two bands.
The front is a photo of Elisabed mixed with the inspiration photo she found. I wanted to incorporate the inspiration photo because I felt like the model in it felt the same way Elisabed does. Elisabed’s fear is very internal and isn’t a physical thing. On the outside, you can’t really pick out her fear by her emotions because it’s not something that she would just talk to anyone about. The photo she choose was extremely the opposite of what she normally looks like. It shows complete emotion and struggle. I wanted to mesh the two together on the front to really represent her emotions. The eye piece can close to reveal both full photos however I didn’t want it to be closed because I felt like it was blocking her from being able to look through her fear. I wanted her eyes to show and be able to see through the mask to look past her fears.
On the back strap of the mask are two different sections of her face. On the top there is a close up of her hands grabbing at her head. When someone does this they’re normally stressed, I wanted to highlight how the pressure of being perfect was really getting to her. On the bottom there is a close up photo of her eyes looking down. People say that the eyes are the window to the soul. I wanted her to look down because it shows her lack of confidence and self doubt.
The final pieces of the mask are the top two straps. The top strap is a old photo of her Dad and Sister. The bottom strap is her and her mother. I specifically put these two pieces on the mask because her family is the most important thing in her life. They’re on the top of her head and always on her mind.
Overall this project was extremely difficult to create something that represented an emotional fear. I tried my best to keep it simple however extremely symbolic at the same time. I have so much respect for Elisabed for sharing a personal inner conflict that she has with me, and I enjoyed working with her on this project.
