MASKS- notes from the presentations of other groups... 17.IX.2012

Behind a Mask...

There is definitely something special about masks, something fascinating but a little creepy at the same time. Mostly because we associate them with assuming a fake identity. Whatever the mask shows, we can only guess what might be found behind it. That is probably why they have always attracted a great deal of interest. There is just so much to wonder about, so much to discuss! It's also worth to look at the wide variety of masks- they find adoption in so many areas, starting with theatrical, ritual or other decorative e.g. venetian masks, ending up on... yes, balaclavas which also are kinds of facial covers!

Mighty Dionysus!

When it comes to the actual origin of masks, theories are biased. Most of historians claim that they were used firstly in ancient Greece, during festivities in honour of a god Dionysus, so they have clearly theatrical derivation. Some on the other hand believe the tribal masks were used during rites, hundreds of years before the Greek even came up with an idea of theatre. As it often happens, the truth may lay somewhere in between, so I am most likely to think that our ancient ancestors were inspired by more primitive cultures and decided to kind of adapt the concept of masks for their own benefit. Leaving the creative tribal artists and their major or minor influence aside for a moment (there's definitely much more to say about them, so we'll get back to the topic later on) let's now focus a bit on the importance of masks in European culture. Of course, we have indisputable proofs that the Greek had a lot to do with them. And what the Greek did their best, the Romans took and sacrifised as their own. Theatre was one of those areas as well, but it's not the history we are about to concentrate on. Ancient masks, worn during performances were simple, with clearly remarked emotions. Their value varied, starting with simple white, almost not decorated ones, ending on amazing pieces of art, made of luxurious materials. Surely everything depended on the status of a theatre. I guess the quality of masks was slightly different in a prestigous Roman one and somewhere in a poorer Greek polis. Anyway, the very idea of wearing a facial cover was just perfect for performances. Just imagine what a thrift that was! One actor could play an unlimited number of roles without being recognised! What is more, the plays gained a lot of expression and aesthetic value.

A Few Kilometres and Centuries Later...

Certainly I was not the only one in my class, who after hearing 'we'll be working on masks' came up with the least creative idea: 'oh, so I'll make a venetian mask!' Why did I call it the least creative? Simply because it is probably the first collocation with the word 'mask' we may think of. Giant, decorative, glittering and a little creepy- these are the signatures of Venice, which became internationally famous thanks to the carnival held in that italian city, firstly attended only by local noblemen, since XVIII century considered a tourist attraction. While this type of european masks is strictly associated with entertainment or theatre, we shall not forget about what a significant role they fulfilled in a previous period. And it had  little to do with fun back then... They were the facial coverages of the doctors during the plague of Black Death (a positive accent in it all was that it actually shows there was an attempt to be hygienic, even in the Middle Ages). They were to prevent those medicals from being contaminated, when they visited houses to cure people. However, with our knowledge nowadays we may assess the effectiveness of this method as... well, generally poor...

Gods Listen to Those, Whose Faces Are Covered...

We, Europeans in our huge pride and sense of genius might be very likely to believe that it is ancient Greece, where the tradition of wearing masks derives from. But if we just opened our eyes to a variety of sources we would immediately find out wrong we are... I'm sorry, but the Asians were here first! The masks found on distant islands, for example of Indonesia or Philippines speak volumes and are actually older than the greek theatre. To be honest, every single Asian country has a tradition in which masks, used especially on celebration purposes play a crucial role. Whether it's Japan, Korea, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka, there is a specific form of making and using them. Obviously, these are the ritual masks we're talking about and they are connected either with religious customs (hinduism, buddhism, shamanism etc.), making attempts to catch a contact with the dead spirits or magical ways of curing diseases. The masks are really varied in form, depending on their roles and origin. They also have a lot to do with the african masks, which were actually the topic of my investigation.