1. Create a physical metaphor of the cycles, layers and dimensions of identities
– The Universe/Cosmos, Layers, Narratives
2. Comparing early cultures vs. present culture – how masks evloved from being tangible to something intangible
– Cycle, Time , Past Present & Future
3. Come up with an analogies that somehow make sense in early culture as well as present culture
– Time , Past Present & Future, Dimensions, Layers
Here’s my mind map. I based it on the word masks and it’s traditional uses/roles in early culture.
This is what I got in the end. Everything seems interconnected but I will focus on my main keywords
which are: The universe, Time, Personas, Duality, Narratives, Layers & Cycle.
The Universe:
1. all existing matter and space considered as a whole; the cosmos
2. a particular sphere of activity or experience
Time:
the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole
Personas:
the aspect of someone’s character that is presented to or perceived by others
Narratives:
a spoken or written account of connected events; a story
Layers:
a sheet, quantity, or thickness of material, typically one of several, covering a surface or body.
Cycle:
an interval of time during which a sequence of a recurring succession of events or phenomena is completed
Masking, literally. Something I did for fun. Happy Sunday!
A similar binary connection between earth and sky may be found in the crossbar of the superstructure of Dogon kanaga masks that appears at funerals to lead the soul of the deceased to the afterlife. In the performance, the dancers reportedly touched the tip of the mask to the earth in the four cardinal direction, possibly representing “the movement imposed upon the universe by [the Creator] Amma.” Though interpretations vary, the upper crossbar is said to represent the sky, the lower, the earth , emphasising cultural notions of duality or contrasting opposites which is fundamental in Dogon thought.
The great plank masks called sirige seemingly reach for the heavens, their tall superstructures bridging earth and sky.
Germaine Dieterlen described them as representing “stars in great number, implying infinite multiplication and suggesting a series of galaxies and their movements in space,” but she noted that the form implies the “journey between Heaven and Earth” of Amma’s first creation, Ogo the descent of the first ancestors or nommo, and “the many–storied family house, which shelters the ancestral altars”. These are always described in relation to astronomy, as conceived by the Dogon ….A procession of masks represents the ensemble of the universe.
– Performing the Moral Universe, African Cosmos, Christine Mullen Kreamer
Jung suggested that the psyche was composed of three components: the ego, the personal unconscious and the collective unconscious.
According to Jung, the ego represents the conscious mind while the personal unconscious contains memories, including those that have been suppressed. The collective unconscious is a unique component in that Jung believed that this part of the psyche served as a form of psychological inheritance. It contains all of the knowledge and experiences we share as a species.
The collective unconscious, Jung believed, was where these archetypes exist. He suggested that these models are innate, universal and hereditary. Archetypes are unlearned and function to organize how we experience certain things.
The Self
The self is an archetype that represents the unification of the unconsciousness and consciousness of an individual. The creation of the self occurs through a process known as individuation, in which the various aspects of personality are integrated. Jung often represented the self as a circle, square or mandala.
The Shadow
The shadow is an archetype that consists of the sex and life instincts. The shadow exists as part of the unconscious mind and is composed of repressed ideas, weaknesses, desires, instincts and shortcomings. This archetype is often described as the darker side of the psyche, representing wildness, chaos and the unknown. These latent dispositions are present in all of us, Jung believed, although people sometimes deny this element of their own psyche and instead project it onto others.
Jung suggested that the shadow can appear in dreams or visions and may take a variety of forms. It might appear as a snake, a monster, a demon, a dragon or some other dark, wild or exotic figure.
The Anima / Animus
The anima is a feminine image in the male psyche and the animus is a male image in the female psyche. The anima/animus represents the “true self” rather than the image we present to others and serves as the primary source of communication with the collective unconscious.
The combination of the anima and animus is known as the syzygy, or the divine couple. The syzygy represents completion, unification and wholeness.
The Persona
The persona is how we present ourselves to the world. The word “persona” is derived from a Latin word that literally means “mask.” It is not a literal mask, however. The persona represents all of the different social masks that we wear among different groups and situations. It acts to shield the ego from negative images. According to Jung, the persona may appear in dreams and take a number of different forms.
I came across this website which gave me a clear picture of the definition of persona according to Jungian theory:
The persona is a complicated system of relations between individual consciousness and society, fittingly enough a kind of mask, designed on the one hand to make a definite impression upon others, and, on the other, to conceal the true nature of the individual.
– “The Relations between the Ego and the Unconscious” (1928). In CW 7: Two Essays on Analytical Psychology. P.305
Whoever looks into the mirror of the water will see first of all his own face. Whoever goes to himself risks a confrontation with himself. The mirror does not flatter, it faithfully shows whatever looks into it; namely, the face we never show to the world because we cover it with the persona, the mask of the actor. But the mirror lies behind the mask and shows the true face.
– “Archetypes of the Collective Unconscious” (1935). In CW 9, Part I: The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious. P.43
Every calling or profession has its own characteristic persona. It is easy to study these things nowadays, when the photographs of public personalities so frequently appear in the press. A certain kind of behaviour is forced on them by the world, and professional people endeavour to come up to these expectations. Only, the danger is that they become identical with their personas-the professor with his text-book, the tenor with his voice. Then the damage is done; henceforth he lives exclusively against the background of his own biography. . . . The garment of Deianeira has grown fast to his skin, and a desperate decision like that of Heracles is needed if he is to tear this Nessus shirt from his body and step into the consuming fire of the flame of immortality, in order to transform himself into what he really is. One could say, with a little exaggeration, that the persona is that which in reality one is not, but which oneself as well as others think one is.
– “Concerning Rebirth” (1940). In CW 9, Part I: The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious. P.221
Nothing is so apt to challenge our self-awareness and alertness as being at war with oneself. One can hardly think of any other or more effective means of waking humanity out of the irresponsible and innocent half-sleep of the primitive mentality and bringing it to a state of conscious responsibility.
–”Psychological Typology” (1936). In CW 6: Psychological Types. P. 964
Nothing in us ever remains quite uncontradicted, and consciousness can take up no position which will not call up, somewhere in the dark corners of the psyche, a negation or a compensatory effect, approval or resentment. This process of coming to terms with the Other in us is well worth while, because in this way we get to know aspects of our nature which we would not allow anybody else to show us and which we ourselves would never have admitted.
–Mysterium Coniunctionis (1955) CW 14: P. 706
Image from Masks and Masking, Gary Edson
Masks as Mediators Between the Natural and the Supernatural, Cultural Signs, Masks and Masking, Gary Edson
Takeaway: Masks could cover the whole head or cover a partial bit of the face. Even something that sits on the head could also be considered a mask. From this, I would say that the way it is being used would determine if it is a mask or not.
1. Representation of the physical & metaphysical worlds
“The subjective (belief) and the objective (practical influences) came together in the form of a whole conceptualisation – the reality of the masks substituted where the physical and metaphysical met in common unity with the symbol – unification = the true meaning of the mask revealed”
2. Reveal manifestations of divine beings (visual representation); this comes with explaining the concept of life via teachings of respect for parents, ancestors and spirit / deities
“The wearing of a mask in the socially prescribed manner transformed the human into a superior being. The masked person was identified with the associated deity and allotted superhuman traits. Moreover, because masks are often had standardised features, the onlookers immediately knew which spirit being was represented”
3. Hunting
“Masking appears to have originated in the hunting societies and a belief in being spiritually linked with animals. Animal masks were among the first to be used. The logic behind this supposition is that the early hunter needed a means for approaching prey. When stealth proved inadequate, the hunter resorted to disguise and imitation. The skin and movements of the animal was included as part of the disguise to give a more realistic appearance. After the successful ‘kill’, the story of the hunt had to be told and the skin provided a perfect ‘costume’ to aid in demonstrating the events. The animal mask allowed the human to act part of both the hunter and the hunted. It was a symbolic joining or the two elements – life and death”
4. To Scare
“It is equally probable that masks in some cultures were social control devices in that they were used to frighten people into initiating or rejecting certain actions or reactions. As examples: An unfaithful wife might expect a visit from a hideous, often malformed, creature to “scare” her into fidelity. This character took different forms in different societies.”
5. Awaken Memories
“Memory of traditions is stimulated by two separate but interconnected systems. One is a verbal reminder associated with myths and legends delivered in abstract symbolic terms – a learned language. The other mechanism is the imagery system than makes use of masks and other forms of perceptual information. Added to the memory equation is the fact that experience is consistently reshaping recollection. This factor suggests that the interchange between memory and experience is reciprocal”
“Masks consolidated memory, experience, perception and emotion into a visual (or visional) form”
6. Passports / Amulets
“Small masks were sometimes carried as amulets or “passports”. The passport masks identified the bearer with a particular people, society, or social order. They have credentials used to gain assistance of fraternal organisations when travelling outside a familiar area”
7. Protection
“Masks provided symbolic protection for individuals and communities against disease and other forms of physical harm initiated by malevolent spirits.”
“Masks were used to present a “face” to viewers and to save “face” for the wearer”
8. To Create a New Identity
“The persona and the appearance of the face related to the state of mind. Certain ideas and emotions influence the movements of the muscles of the face to give a particular expression that characterises different emotions. The mask was a perfect device to conceal or disguise that disposition. The mask functioned simultaneously obscure a person’s face and to create a new identity”
Takeaway: These are what I gathered from reading Masks & Masking by Gary Edson. A mask is a pretty complex element that goes beyond a face cover. Symbolically and metaphorically, it represents both the physical and the metaphysical worlds, it also protects more than just a person’s face and is used as a tool for hunting. Masks are also needed to awaken memories, acting as a visual tool to further amplify the verbal reminder.
Excerpts from the book Persona. Identities Hidden and Revealed:
In latin, persona refers not only to the mask worn by a theatre actor, but also to the role and character he plays. From the origin comes the French word ‘personne’, which mean either ‘somebody’ or ‘nobody’; that it therefore refers to opposites, the presence or absence of a human being, is important to note, and will surely whet the intelect! ‘Persona’, according to C.G. Jung, also refers to the role as well as the attitude that one must, desires or would like to adopt when living in society.
‘The persona is a complicated system of relations between the individual consciousness and society, fittingly enough a kind of mask, designed on the one hand to make a definite impression upon others, and, on the other, to conceal the true nature of the individual’
Indeed, the mask as object can hide an individual’s face and thus his identity, all while revealing through its stylistic characteristics an ‘ethnic’ affiliation. The mask – and he who wears it – acts as a medium for the incarnation of invisible entities, their metamorphosis and dynamism. The mask itself urgently calls attention to the need to enact (depending on the circumstances) a new transformed identity.
After consulting Cindy on my topic, it is suggested that one of my keywords should include mask (how could I forget?). As of now, my research on masks are only related to the face/identity and this is seen as a tier which I could possibly work on in later stages. I have to find the other tiers, an example would be besides the literal interpretation of masks, how about other uses of them? – to protect perhaps? I should explore the possibilities and other uses of these masks going beyond the definition. The different definitions could be applied through different mediums in a much later stage.
To Do:
Multiple Identities of a Face 