Face Off – Research – Project Two (2130)

History of Masking

• Origins
  • face masks
    • rituals and spiritual sacrifice
      • representing a deity or a person who is connected to such things
      • unifying sign of worshipers
      • protection of identity
    • hunting, battle, and feasts
      • protection of vitally important face area
      • limited consumption rates
    • simply ornamentation
      • theatre
        • representations of others
        • actors and performance
      • decoration
      • sign of status and wealth
  • body masks
    • clothes
      • protect the body
      • can be stylized and designed
      • societally accepted
    • armor
      • for protection in battle
      • sign of bravery and class differentiation
      • heavy, limits mobility
      • keeps user safe, intended for defense
    • augmentations
      • body enhancements
      • extended arms and legs (stilts)
      • aid for ease of use
        • glasses
        • grip-gloves
        • hearing aids
        • body modifications (piercings, tattoos)
    • replacements
      • amputation
        • prosthetics
          • wooden fingers (ancient Egypt)
          • wooden legs (peg legs – seafarers)
          • iron hinged arms and legs (~1500)

Ideas for Narrative 

• The Origin Of Cancer (the Zodiac Sign)
  • focus on shape of sign ♋️
    • emotional/sensitive/gentle
    • caring/supportive/nurturing
    • trouble with self-discipline/need to be distinguished
  • crab imagery
    • claws/pincers (hands)
    • exoskeleton (body)
    • legs
    • flat head and long eyes (face)
  • emphasis on water
  • history of development
  • constellation and time of year
  • PERFORMANCE
    • highlighting origin of the constellation and it’s realization into what it is now
    • the development into a crab
    • how the characteristics of a Cancer came to be
    • end in collaboration, making the Cancer zodiac sign with two hands (♋️)
• Ancient Greek Mythology
  • focus on the hubris of humans versus imperfect gods and goddesses
  • stories of eternal punishment or reward
    • Arachne
    • Sisyphus
    • Tantalus
  • explanation of natural world around us
    • Pan – panic, pan pipes, reeds
    • Dionysus – reason of debauchery/insanity, wobbliness of being drunk
    • Prometheus – fire, clay humans

Ideas for Masking

• crab head mask
  • textured and modeled like a crab – red and white splotches
  • oblong shape, sharp edges, long eyes
• crab claw/pincer hand

• • textured and modeled like a crab – red and white splotches
  • curved claw shape
    • smooth outside
    • sharp, jagged inside
    • able to move in accordance to hand
• exoskeleton/hard outer shell
  • textured and modeled like a crab – red and white splotches
  • emphasis on strength and rigidity of shell
• removed hand
  • mechanical hand mechanic that is larger (or smaller) than the user’s own hand
• reversed/confused hand
  • similar to removed hand but the mechanics are purposely messed up
    • one finger moving does not properly correspond to the others moving
    • multiple fingers bound together to move mechanics