Identity Revealed - a filmed triptych by Ellis Faas

"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; to not be recognized 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?" - Ellis Faas

https://softlysometimes.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/unnamed3.jpg

http://softlysometimes.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/unnamed2.jpg?w=840

Ellis was born and raised in the Netherlands. From an early age on, Ellis had a good eye for fashion, coupled with a strong opinion about what was or wasn't beautiful. She plastered her bedroom walls with images from Vogue and would often make her own clothes (sometimes with great success; other times failing miserably). She also developed a passion for photography, especially in the documentary, portrait and over-stylised fashion and beauty genres.

When I first saw the video I had absolutely no idea what was going on and why these models were wearing funny shaped masks which made me wonder why I was watching this to be honest. However once I'd read what it was about and the reasoning behind it, it made much more sense and helped me to appreciate it. I loved that the masks weren't just made by materials but also makeup she used different types of materials not your typical materials such as paper, she'd used wires and cloth. It was also strange that they weren't your typical masks which you cut holes out for your eyes, nose and mouth once mask in particular had no holes. 

Websites Used:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=taIWlCi9SxQ
• http://vimeo.com/109956784
• http://www.ellisfaas.com/brand/about/