Editorial look- inspiration.

   For the Editorial look, I have taken my inspiration from the famous short film made by Ellis Faas: "Identity Revealed".

    This Short film impressed me not only for the amazing creativeness that it shows but also for the style used in it. I have always had a passion of knowing more about the Tribal cultures, their habits including the makeup they do. This video is inspired from traditional masks from the Ivory Coast.
    Ellis Explains her approach:
"Since ancient times, humans have been using masks - in order to express power and authority; to feel self-confident; to stand out or to hide behind, not to be Recognised and disappear into the masses. Not only by traditional masks, but Also by disguising and ornamental elements such as clothing, jewellery, hair and makeup. But can one truly change one's identity, or is it Merely a temporary transformation? and who or what Defines someone's true identity? is it the mask, is it the human being behind the mask, or maybe even the creator of the mask? "
 

Tribal makeup has been used for many motives. For hunting, religious reasons and military (mainly as a method of camouflaging) or to scare enemy ones. Several tribal fighting techniques were calculated to strike terror. Some warriors entered battle naked except for a loin cloth, but their bodies were streaked in bizarre examples in red and black paint. Decorating one's face in various patterns and shapes has been a part of the cultural makeup of many societies since the beginning of time. Face painting is a common theme across cultures as divergent as the Indigenous American tribes in North America and various tribes in Africa and South America.
     The art of transforming ourselves with make-up and masks is a universal phenomenon. Indigenous peoples of the Amazon have said that in this power to change ourselves, we demonstrate our humanity and set ourselves apart from the world of the animals. The wide range of patterns that a face painter can create, enhance the emotions and meaning of the cultural events. The patterns can be color specific or randomly geometric seemingly without any significance. The shapes and colors convey a strong bond and meaning amongst people who have a face painting tradition. They are a connection to their past and carry a very strong cultural meaning in their lives.
 

 The reason tribes use face art to transform themselves may be varied. Sometimes they choose to do so as a part of a tribal ritual or at other times they do so to mark their status (as is the case with some aboriginal tribes), but the colorful and dynamic language of the face painting remains the same.