With Cybil Scott

The Mask: One of the oldest and most universal phenomenons of folk culture. In contemporary media and pop culture programs, particularly dystopian fiction, there seems to a repetitive visual trope as well as a growing number of artists using the ‘mask’ as a signpost in their work. These masks are not like the classical busts of art history. They are interchangeable, smooth, hairless, and resting faces collectively grouped, waiting to be called upon.

With a growing virtual world we create multiple masks and avatars tailored to our liking and purpose. What are the new developments of old spiritual technology like the mask being used in today’s world? And is western information-age society having trouble confronting death due to lack of religious ritual in our daily life?

A workshop and research exploration into the symbolism of masks and faces in technological narratives, virtuality, and death masks.