MASK: Dialogue between an inside and an outside perspective of costume

Abstract

Abstract This visual essay introduces an independent collaborative artistic research project between costume designers Charlotte Østergaard and Jeppe Worning utilizing mask as costume to examine one’s relationship to the MASK from two perspectives: inside and outside. The research process starts with artistic practice: beginning by interacting with the objects/materials of study, we engage in a critical dialogue with the experiences we invoke. How can we as costume designers have an awareness of the costume from within and at the same time keep a gaze from the outside? Starting from the inside, we must dare to act as performers wearing the object of study, feeling it from the inside. As a wearer, the feeling of the material on the body may be a personal experience; it is also critical to incorporate a second perspective – perceiving the MASK from the outside. This project provoked a critical dialogue between the sensorial feeling (inside) and the visual expression (outside) of the mask. The dialogue between these two perspectives challenges us to become ‘active observers’ to our artistic expression.