Im so happy with how this project has turned out. I think the fact I was inspired by my dissertation meant I had a deep contextual understanding of my themes and concepts to help me achieve a high quality final outcome.
This whole project was an exploration of the self and identity and I feel like ive learnt so much about myself and how i present my self in day to day life. I am a performer but when it comes to presentations about my own work I become extremely anxious as its like presenting a piece of your soul to the world when exhibiting art. At the end the of my second year presentation I was very emotional and Pip told me to make art about this difficulty and what ever maybe holding me back.
This project has tackled this issue, examining my own insecurities. During a presentation I feel naked and vulnerable. I realised after this project that its probably because to present my work is to present my true self and to do this i must remove the metaphorical masks I wear everyday. I am an actor, I like to perform and the clothes I wear or the humour I use day to day to keep up appearances must be removed for these short periods. Before this was one of the scariest thoughts imaginable for me but now I realise that my true self is not me with out a mask but is a collection of many different masks. I may feel vulnerable during the presentation but now I know that the invisible masks I wear each day do not cover but help me express my true self.
Whats Next?
This project has made me consider the relationship between masks and puppetry and so id like to explore this relationship further with future projects. My idea is to make a puppet and its puppeteer wearing the same mask to dehumanize the puppeteer and blur the lines between human and puppet to create a surreal illusion for audiences.
I have been inspired by bunraku style puppets that aim to mimic human movements accuratly. for example Tchaïka, de Belova & Iacobelli by Natacha Belova puppets, masks & costumes performance that breaks the forth wall between puppet and pupeteer.
Rhianna Yates- Maker Blog 