Ellis Faas, Identity Revealed

This short film was created by the makeup artist, photographer and film maker, Ellis Faas. Ellis was asked to create this film for the new exhibition, "Magical Africa - Masks and Sculptures from Ivory Coast. The artists revealed.", at De Nieuwe Kerk, in Amsterdam. She was asked to get inspiration from the traditional masks of Ivory Coast.

When I first watched the video clip I thought it was to do with African tribal makeup and also maybe torture, with some of the wires and restraining masks. I really liked how every makeup look was so different, some being very minimal and some being very complex and colourful. I liked how the background was black as it added a sense of mystery and made the model's stand out. I thought it was clever how three model's were shown at once as it kept my eye moving and kept me interested and intrigued. I think my favourite look was when one of the girls with a deeper skin tone, applied gold makeup on her forehead and then down the centre of the face because I loved seeing the simple transformation come to life in a very calming and beautiful way. The end result reminds me of the makeup look used for the Sorapol SS15 catwalk in London Fashion Week, with the golden shade to highlight the centre of the face on the deeper skin tones.

My favourite look from Ellis' film. 
https://softlysometimes.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/unnamed.jpg?w=960

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; to not 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?"

However, after reading Ellis' explanation of her piece I realised that it was about masks, but more the generalisation of the meaning behind masks. It really made me question how people present themselves on social media and even in public and whether you ever really get to see the true person or whether you just see what they are trying to portray of themselves. Some people consider 'everyday' makeup to be a mask of what they really look like, but I see that as more of an enhancement, but I guess you don't really know where the line is crossed from enhancement and transformation. 

Sources:
http://vimeo.com/109956784
http://softly.nothingspaces.com/2014/10/29/identity-revealed-a-filmed-triptych-by-ellis-faas/