Making things by hand is a really fun and precious time. It’s tedious to get started, but as you face the clay in front of you, you gradually get hooked. Forget everything and immerse yourself. Awesome concentration. The eyes start to shine like a child. The more you play with the clay, the more it comes out. It gradually becomes a face. Finally, you discover the shape of your mask in your clods. It is the moment of being born by your hands.
I’m often asked what style to make, but I don’t like this question. Learning style is simply a matter of trying to imitate what someone has invented and established. There are some restrictions on the material but I want you to start freely. I like to see the birth of an original full of personality even if you are clumsy. The work that I worked on while discovering something by hand is full of the creator’s love and full of the joy of creation. The work with the soul is seen and the excitement is transmitted.
After that, each one will decide which direction to follow. An impressive mask full of large, powerful colors could be a carnival mask. It’s good for outdoor performances, so you can go to the parade or join an outdoor festival. A delicate and simple but expressive mask is suitable for theatre performances. A good mask will change its appearance depending on its angle. For an hour or an hour and a half, the audience will be invited into the world of that mask .
The mask was born and now it is the actor’s and directer’s job. How do you make your mask alive? How can you make your mask laugh or cry? Which rhythm makes what? What can we dream? Discover the world, focussing on how masks live. This is a big part of the fun for mask work. Nobody knows what will pop out. Nobody knows what surprises are hidden, and after surprisingly boiled down, the answer appears from a completely different direction. See, we don’t have time to be boring!
