MASK REFLECTION AND PSYCHOLOGY

The following quotes give me a lot of inspiration in which to design a character who reflects their inner self in their clothing. The quote about the prisoner really interests me and shows that you can create something with the intent of covering something else up, but the created item still reflects subconscious things.

"A mask is an object normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, or entertainment."

“When one enters ‘concealment’ behind the mask, there is a paradoxical freeing of behavior…ultimately the transformation is revealing rather than concealing” (Larsen, 1990).

"...Mask making is, by definition, "superficial in the sense of creating a surface with the intent to cover” (Gussak, 1997)—a task he may have felt comfortable doing. He simultaneously put a mask on, while giving us a glimpse of what was underneath (please see the accompanying image). Winston covered his mask with tissue paper; there were no eyeholes, and the mouth was bound by a piece of black paper. He later admitted in an individual session to being frightened about paroling again, and getting in trouble for his mouth. As the mask seemed to reveal, he essentially wanted to close himself off from his surroundings and gag himself."  

I was originally going to base my entire project around this theme, but during my research, it seems that my designs seem less and less reliant on the theme to carry them. I was finding it hard to extend the metaphor to the environments, and it just ended up seeming like a bit of a tenuous link.