Naelu

The plastic tangles into the branches like visual tracks of polluted air, now and then transformed into a magical mist. The field of vision is limited by the mask I wear, which makes me sharpen my other senses. Suddenly, I hear the nuances of birdsong more clearly, smell the odour of the moist earth, and feel how my heartbeats give a pulse to my movements.

Throughout time, masks have been used as multimodal tools for sensual experiences and existential forms of expression. Today, social media masking filters are used to be more daring, and to choose who you want to appear as on different occasions. I examine if the masks’ alternative identities can facilitate art students’ participation in performance art.

The face, the most classical sculptural subject, is recast here in the form of a mask. The mask provides space for alternative identities and brings together the sculptural component of performance in a public place. In extension, it becomes the link between humankind and nature.

The project is carried out in collaboration with the Princess Estelle Cultural Foundation and the Museum of Ethnography.