To mask or not to mask...
That is Arts Appreciation.
Our task was to make a mask and do it up anyway we like. This is my mask.
on me
my face, my mask.
We also had to do a write up. So this is mine...
Arts App. - Mask Making
Long before my partner laid strips of plaster on my face, I came up with a rough concept for the mask. The Legend of Princess Mount Ophir, more commonly known in the Malay community as ‘Lagenda Puteri Gunung Ledang’, inspires the idea for the concept. Briefly, the legend is about a Javanese Princess from Majapahit who came to Gunung Ledang in Malacca to be with her lover, Hang Tuah. Prior to that, she faced a lot of obstacles including being forced to marry the Sultan of Malacca to prevent invaders from conquering her native land. In the end, she was cursed – she was never to be seen by anyone or they will die a terrible death through internal bleeding. This is depicted in the absence of eyeholes in my mask.
I try to depict parts of this beautiful legend through my mask. I requested that the mask be made with a peak at the forehead to represent Mount Ophir itself, the mountain Gusti Putri Retno Dumillah was prepared to climb for her lover. It also signifies the climax of her love that she will never achieve and that she can only dream of, thus the peak is placed above the forehead. The peak has blue designs on it to show that it is only fantasy in nature. Painted gold to look like a crown, the design on the forehead, which was initially done with 3D fabric paint to give texture, represents Gusti Putri’s royal background
To follow Javanese tradition, the brows are forked, also known as Kening Bercabang, representing a conflict and contradiction of values between Gusti Putri and her lover, Hang Tuah. Above the left brow are 7 dots that represent the conditions she requested from the sultan before she would except his hand in marriage.
I also attached a piece of batik cloth, in the shape of flowing tears, to the right of the mask to represent her eternal despair. Batik was chosen as its patterns can be infinite and that it originated in Indonesia just like Gusti Putri.
On the left part of the mask, I also painted tears in blue, green and black. Some belief that rain at Mount Ophir are actually Gusti Putri’s tears. They will then flood the rivers and waterfalls then give life to the flora and fauna surrounding it. Thus the painted tears are to represent the river and the lush forest that surrounds it. Other than the forest, green represents her jealousy towards Hang Tuah’s loyalty to the Sultan
The lips were painted black as a symbol of deprivation from love and her desires. Her yearning to be with Hang Tuah is described as a thirst that can never be quenched.
Personally I can relate to the legend and so I decided make it the subject of my mask. Also I like Asian art and am myself partly Javanese.
Thus the story of Gusti Putri depicted in my mask
Jika ini hakikatnya...
Pahlawan Putih
That is Arts Appreciation.
Our task was to make a mask and do it up anyway we like. This is my mask.
on me
my face, my mask.
We also had to do a write up. So this is mine...
Arts App. - Mask Making
Long before my partner laid strips of plaster on my face, I came up with a rough concept for the mask. The Legend of Princess Mount Ophir, more commonly known in the Malay community as ‘Lagenda Puteri Gunung Ledang’, inspires the idea for the concept. Briefly, the legend is about a Javanese Princess from Majapahit who came to Gunung Ledang in Malacca to be with her lover, Hang Tuah. Prior to that, she faced a lot of obstacles including being forced to marry the Sultan of Malacca to prevent invaders from conquering her native land. In the end, she was cursed – she was never to be seen by anyone or they will die a terrible death through internal bleeding. This is depicted in the absence of eyeholes in my mask.
I try to depict parts of this beautiful legend through my mask. I requested that the mask be made with a peak at the forehead to represent Mount Ophir itself, the mountain Gusti Putri Retno Dumillah was prepared to climb for her lover. It also signifies the climax of her love that she will never achieve and that she can only dream of, thus the peak is placed above the forehead. The peak has blue designs on it to show that it is only fantasy in nature. Painted gold to look like a crown, the design on the forehead, which was initially done with 3D fabric paint to give texture, represents Gusti Putri’s royal background
To follow Javanese tradition, the brows are forked, also known as Kening Bercabang, representing a conflict and contradiction of values between Gusti Putri and her lover, Hang Tuah. Above the left brow are 7 dots that represent the conditions she requested from the sultan before she would except his hand in marriage.
I also attached a piece of batik cloth, in the shape of flowing tears, to the right of the mask to represent her eternal despair. Batik was chosen as its patterns can be infinite and that it originated in Indonesia just like Gusti Putri.
On the left part of the mask, I also painted tears in blue, green and black. Some belief that rain at Mount Ophir are actually Gusti Putri’s tears. They will then flood the rivers and waterfalls then give life to the flora and fauna surrounding it. Thus the painted tears are to represent the river and the lush forest that surrounds it. Other than the forest, green represents her jealousy towards Hang Tuah’s loyalty to the Sultan
The lips were painted black as a symbol of deprivation from love and her desires. Her yearning to be with Hang Tuah is described as a thirst that can never be quenched.
Personally I can relate to the legend and so I decided make it the subject of my mask. Also I like Asian art and am myself partly Javanese.
Thus the story of Gusti Putri depicted in my mask
Jika ini hakikatnya...
Pahlawan Putih
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