How To:

• In our year 9 Visual Communication class at Banksia Secondary College we had been discussing the possibilities and many ways of creating imagery for the communication of information
• Students recognised the exciting potential of three-dimensional form and a large variety of materials in design work
• The topic was festivals and tasks involved creating an appropriate logo and mask for a festival of the students choice
• All were encouraged to be as imaginative and inventive as possible
• A wide and sometimes humorous range of titles from "The Rainbow Festival" to the "Moo-Cow Festival" was devised according to the student's interest
• We decided on a basic theme of gold and students were offered access to a broad range of shiny and exotic decorative materials, papers, corrugated card, metallic papers and metallic card, fabric, sequins, beads, feathers, tinsels, twisted metallic paper rope, star garlands
• Inspiration was derived from researching the origins and purposes of masks in both primitive and non-primitive cultures
• Students paid particular attention to examples of the 18th century Venice Carnival
• They noted that Venice in the 1700's was a place where festivals and street events were popular and that society was influenced by French culture.
• We also looked at mask examples of artists such as Susan Rodgers, Wendy Littlewood, Robyn Gordon, Jenny Orchard, Nigel Thomson and Neil Moore
• Work started with paper mache over plastic face moulds building several layers of newsprint and glue before finishing with finer layers of white paper
• This was allowed to dry out while students generated, developed and refined ideas through the Design Process
• Incorporated in these masks was exploration and experimentation with different mediums and materials
• Dry masks were attached to a cardboard surround the shape and surface formed nature of which was determined by the students design
• All masks were painted with a base of gold lustre. Individual designs were drawn on, painted and decorated according to preparatory designs and selected materials

Copyright 2004 Zart Art & Zart Education Service