In 2007 the ministry of education opened up an amazing opportunity for artists, schools and communities by launching a ground breaking project called "Artists in schools". To find out more about the Artist in schools project please visit here
Syndicate 5 chose to focus on wearable arts from recycled materials and masks made by papier mache`. We showed the children examples of contemporary wearable arts and masks as well as traditional venetian, tribal and performance masks. The children looked into the history of their masks, making topic studies and power-point presentations based on the information they discovered. I brought in an example of an elaborate masquerade mask I made out of wire, tissue paper, papier mache`, glass beads and paint. I showed the children ways to mould intricate shapes with tissue paper, and how to use wire to make dramatic additions.
Each child began by designing their own mask or costume. For those designing masks I instructed them to proportionally graph out the face of their model before starting the actual mask design. For those designing wearable arts costumes, I instructed the children how to do fashion drawings like real fashion designers.
We then moved onto construction. Those making masks used cheap plastic masks and balloons as bases before applying papier mache` The children were encouraged to spend a long time on these masks, they were instructed to do at least six layers, as a result these masks are incredibly strong and professional looking. I am very proud of the children that made these masks, they really put their heart and soul into it, you can see by the quality of their works just how much they have achieved. These pieces of art will live forever.
