The Mask

Two weeks ago, I lead my first own workshop! To be honest, we realized it together with Sezen but the original idea was from me (ok, not exactly because I was inspired by Saul Steinberg’s work, but this is another story!). And this is something that I appreciate in “Atölye Deneme Sanat”, I feel them really open to my ideas. Although I have been there since only a month, I can really find my place!

And so, on that Monday, we have proposed to the youth to make craft paper masks. After small morning brainstorming with Sezen, looking for a way to build paper pocket, I showed to the youth how to realize it. Brown paper, cutter, glue and a pair of hands. And 14 eyes pointed on me… gloups! But I succeeded in. My mock-up should be not too wrong. And I also handed over to the youth who have started on the manufacture of their pocket.

This first step done without problem, realization of mask could really start, and the youth have begun to draw. Eyes, mouth, nose, hair, the idea was here to realize portraits (next time are planned kind of monsters masks), but without real confines. They were free to express their creativity and I was not disappointed by results! It was quite interesting to see how each child take up the work: some are very impulsive, drawing with energy whereas others are more cautious or meticulous, sketching a lot before to realize their final piece. 

The fact remains that at the end, we got a nice masks’ bevy that we immortalized in a small photo shoot session. It was the occasion for children to apprehender camera, some of them having never handled this kind of devices.

Even if it is still hard for now to establish real contact with the youth, because of my insufficient Turkish, it was a good day, and a parallel way to share something together!