Masked Identity

Final Solution:

I bagan by making a wire frame that simply fit around the shape of my head and shoulders.  I spent a lot of time thinking about other shapes I might want to add on, but I decided ultimately that I wanted to keep it looking very comfortable, very organic, very natural.  So I stayed roughly with the shape of a human head and shoulders.  The variations I added are small details, such as the flared neckline that roughly follows the curves of breasts, the curve of the neck, and the slight angularity of the face.

For my picture, I wanted to sit in a natural setting, somewhere the mask wouldn't look too foreign.  I chose a park near my house with a lake and cedar trees.  I wanted to use a light inside the mask to emphasise what it was fitting around, the interest created by the metal framework inside the skin, and the conceptual idea that something that may appear somewhat plain on the outside can be very interesting on the inside.  I consider myself to be very introspective as well, and I think the mask shape and the photo I took both illustrate this.  Surprisingly, I found wearing the mask to be very pleasant (I thought I would be highly aware of how unusual it looked and therefore be really self-conscious about it, but the inner space is quite a nice place to be in).  Because I wanted to light the mask from inside, I knew I wanted to take a picture as it was dark or becoming dark.  Conveniently, the setting I chose had a few other lights in the background, including a pathway lamp that appears at about the same brightness and warmth of my illuminated face.  With me sitting off of centre and this other light appearing about the same distance from the centre of the photo, a strange balance is created.  Trees on either side frame by body, and a tree directly behind me that appears almost to be coming out of the top of the mask emphasises its naturalness and its organic shape.

Going off of the concept of introspection, I later attempted to take more photos with the mask (but for these ones, my only aide was a tripod instead of another person, and I found it difficult to get the results I was hoping for--afterwards the weather was uncooperative).  I wanted to keep with the natural setting, but bring more attention to the experience of wearing the mask and focus more on introspective body language.

I think this shot works toward communicating the experience of mask-wearing because the viewer is able to see the outline of the subject's face inside the mask.

Staring up at the sky is often referred to as an introspective activity.  This shot also nicely communicates the flourish along the neckline of the mask that mimics the curve of breasts, and I really like the line that's happening along the top right.

I like this one because it brings a sense of distance between the subject and the spectator, and it shows off the mask in profile very well.

I was hoping for some sunlight to shine through the mask in this shot, but I still like the concept because it's highly self-reflective.  The subject is observing herself.

In Progress:

I ended up using tracing paper instead of tissue paper like I was going to.  I think I would have ended up with a much more wrinkly surface had I used tissue paper.  This would have still fit in well with my idea to make the mask look natural, as it may have looked like tree bark or something, but I think using the tracing paper helped to create a much more ethereal brand of natural.  I did, however, use mod podge instead of gel medium, and I had no problems with it.  I ended up only covering the frame with one layer because I liked the variation in value that was resulting from the edges of layers overlapping.  I think it also produced a more dramatic effect when I lit it from inside for my final image than a skin made from several layers.