Who are you now?

To what extent does our face shape our identity? I believe that your face is the most important part of you because it is what makes you unique from everyone else. Your eyes, nose, mouth, and skin make you look different from any other person. How does your identity change when you no longer have those defining features? I believe that although you may feel like yourself, who you are to other people changes entirely. Your anonymity creates a blank slate for people to project their own thoughts and feelings onto. When you cover your face, you become whoever they want you to be. I also questioned how wearing the mask and how the action of putting it on affected you. Why would someone want to cover who they are? Would they rather let people see whoever they wanted than show who they really were? Hiding your identity is something that a lot of people struggle with because judgement is all around us. Some people would rather show a fake version of themselves than the real one because it’s easier to be criticized when it’s not the real you. I wanted to explore these ideas in a more intense way by showing a physical hiding place. A place for someone to go. 

When starting this inquiry, I started out with a fully covered mask. It was the most anonymous and intense piece. I started with the shells because I was fascinated with how they looked in  such large numbers. In their density, they started to become overwhelming and almost uncomfortable. I moved to pearls because I wanted to see if they would have the same effect, even though they were not as diverse as the shells. I also decided to cover only half the face. I saw this as slowly shedding the hiding place and becoming more comfortable in yourself. Seeing your eyes in this piece slowly starts to take away your anonymity and people can start to see who you really are. It broke the barrier between the viewer and the person wearing it. The final piece turned more abstract. I wanted to create something that looked less like a mask. I used masks to make the piece, but it is unwearable. I saw this as the final step to accepting identity and taking back who you are.