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masks
masks
The world we live in has become chaotic. Our lives are driven by one central question: Will it ever be the same? We have lost not only our physical space but also our mental stability. During the Beginnings project, I decided to work on a piece that would connect the world as it is today - adopting a mask as a reference to the pandemic - and my personal feelings during these difficult times. Working with materials from home - that would connect to the essence of self-isolation and being restricted to our home - I was able to express my emotions during five stages of the social distancing: Fear, Trapped, Anxiety, Denial, and Virtual Reality.
Fear - the first emotion I felt during the middle/end of March. For this mask, I used pantyhose and aluminum as main mediums, and a pair o scissors and tape to help in the process. The materials and application of them connect to the feeling of "fear" since it is unclear what is going on around you. It is really important to keep in mind that every single person has a different interpretation and reaction to art, but in my point of view it feels like I can see myself and others suffocating, but I can't do anything about it (this is why only the eyes are "out").
fear
Trapped - I feeling I had throughout the entire phase. I am deeply satisfied with the way that the "Trapped" mask turned out. One of the aspects that I enjoyed the most was the impact of the facial expression combined with the black&white. The material choice was perfect, but it was a difficult process since I had to get the wire in without harming my sister physically. The way that the wire surrounds the nose and mouth represents the actual mask itself, but also the feeling of being trapped - literally.
trapped
I have grown to consider myself an anxious person, and so this feeling was present on a daily basis for five months straight. The "Anxiety" mask is so different from anything that I have done so far, and the use of lighting and colors is so interesting. The materials used were perfect to provide the context of uncertainty and "not being able to handle the situation" - which describes (my personal) anxiety. Moreover, apart from the time it took, it was all worth it because the final outcome is exactly what I hoped for.
anxiety
There are still days where I wake up and forget, or at least try to escape the memory of the difficult path we are all going through. I am deeply satisfied with the way that the "Denial" mask has turned out. If I am being completely honest, I was afraid that it wouldn't turn out the way I was expecting, since it is so different in terms of materials and process. The eyes fit the face perfectly, but the nose and mouth are dislocated (on purpose), giving a sense of "out of place" and "not the reality", which connects to the name of the mask - Denial.
denial
denial
Virtual Reality - a term, a feeling, and most importantly, the current reality. It was really challenging getting both phones in place without messing up the tape and the rope. Getting the right angle in the pictures was also hard, but I really liked the result. The black T-Shirt with black rope, tape, and background makes the phones "pop-out". Furthermore, the fact that I left one eye out is also really interesting, because it connects the essence of technology and the person itself.
virtual reality
by beatriz l.
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