No masks then? :-/
Abbey A said, 1733835426
No one asked my opinion, but I'm going to weigh in with mine anyway 😊😉
Mask work is specific. And it can really unsettle many people. We rely (generally, as humans) to look at emotion and facial expressions for signalling safety and for the majority of communication (hands and body language a little further down the list) so by blocking out the biggest non verbal communication, you are blocking out many messages.
Rewind 25 (cough, maybe more) years back and I would absolutely DREAD comedia del arte or avant garde semesters in drama class at college as they were EXHAUSTING (stick with me, I'm getting to the point)
Much like when you record a song as a singer, the listener cannot see your face,your movement, your energy so you have to work like an absolute UNIT in the studio to convey the emotion of the song(which will already sound flatter and neater and less raw because an engineer will tinker in the post editing) so you have to over emphasize every nuance (the skill being with enough to make it authentic and not too much to make it fake or parody)and mask work is the same.
How to convey a major emotion dramatically on stage when you are already robbing the audience of the majority of your communications? You HAVE to over do it and over aim so that you hit the right level in an edit or from being seen far back in the dress circle and still move your audience
Now add a static element to that. A Photograph. A still and very teeny tiny fraction of a second of a moment.
Its much more than just popping a mask on, striking a pose and pressing a button. It's full out, hard work and a very delicate balance. Its exhausting for both sides of the lens. One element out of kilter and it's going to miss the mark.
It takes practise. It takes subjectivity and it is a select audience that will also spend their energy deciphering the artists intent (which is probably why avant garde and mime is just as niche)
However saying that, I have seen some EXQUISITE mask and anon (shielded face) work here across all levels of dress so there is a love for it. I enjoy seeing narrative and drama, so I'm all for it. You just may need a bit of a rest after all the hard work.😊
The Ghost said, 1733945355
Abbey A said
No one asked my opinion, but I'm going to weigh in with mine anyway 😊😉
Yeah but it's an interesting one so I doubt anyone will object.
Speaking of objects, this is one of the primary appeals of masks - something humanoid without a face can be all kinds of things, from a meat puppet in erotica to a terrifying "other" in a more narrative driven image. The absence of emotion tells an entirely different story.