THE MASKS

NO REGRETS, NO SHAME, NO FEAR TO BE YOURSELF

We have chosen the theme The Masks because, according to some studies made by anthropologists, sociologists and psychologists, people are always wearing masks. There are emotional masks, the ones we hide behind, because we fear the world outside. We mask the debt we’ve incurred to pay for lifestyles we can’t afford; we pretend things are fine when in reality they are not. It describes our feeling of being a fake, our feeling of not belonging to anywhere, or the feeling of not being successful. But they're just masks.

We developed this wide and complex subject choosing which kinds of masks and we analyzed each one using as keys PSYCHOLOGY and SPIRITUALITY. There is more than one reason why we should not put on our masks, for us the most important is HEALING: when we wear masks, we carve a piece of ourselves out. But in relationships, especially the one with ourselves we can’t be truly healed unless we offer up all the pieces. We weren’t born with masks.

There are masks with negative and some with positive meaning. We have chosen just ten masks between all the ones we found.


THE ZOMBIE represents people who let their lives be sucked into the mass of life, and settle for being unhappy.

THE WARRIOR represents people who do not let themselves be sucked into the mass of life and stand up for their freedom and their rights.

THE HEALER (The Warrior of Light) represents people who in material are ready to face the demons inside themselves and take care of the spiritual side of their lives. They are able to free themselves from fear and frustration.

THE MANNEQUIN represents people who agree to be sucked into the mass of life and are satisfied in their daily routine. They create their own character and will play it every day in society, but not inside of their houses.

THE MIRROR All people can be mirrors for those who are in a similar moment or path in life. They will show the others what is causing their pain or what is the issue that is putting them on the wrong path; (often we do not like to see in others what is wrong in us and we judge them badly).

THE VICTIM represents The Loser. People who are not living their lives how they haven chosen, They have surrendered their freedom to rules created by somebody else.

THE LOST All people can be lost for a while in their life, these are sensitive people who are still looking for or fighting to find the right path, (the actress calls this state of mind " The Dance of Death" because they have to find their light to be able to be back to their lives again).

THE ENLIGHTENED This word refers to those people who receive a talent or gift (it can be artistic or scientific) which will make them research new ways to live or new theories which can innovate an old system. They need to have a strong will to follow their missions and to achieve their final result.

THE SAVIOUR Is not a religious or mystical meaning. It is about people whose profession is to save people: Doctors and nurses, but not only about those who work in the care system but people who are emphatic. They love helping and put others before themselves.

THE PHILOSOPHER The word "philosophy" comes from two roots, "philo" and "Sophia," which mean "love" and "wisdom." The philosopher represents someone who has a deep inclination toward the study of human thought, art, emotion and intuition. Feeling this can have a great impact upon our lives.


Since 2013 I am collaborating as video director and photographer for some projects of Durga Universe Cloths Label, together with Dorit Kozlowski, the fashion designer and owner of Durga Universe. This time I and Dorit used the poem The Mask by Maya Angelou as reference for our concept of the project: The Masks: No regrets, No shame, No fear to be yourself. For a good interpretation, she has combined some movements of the Japanese dance with others she created by herself. She needed clothes that fit in the concept and at the same time allowed her to make any movement easily; we reached the results we were looking for thanks to Mad Urban Fashion which made and provided all the outfits.

The Fashion Designer Madzia Urbanik, based in Amsterdam, makes unconventional fashion, full of colors and in different styles and shapes (some of them are made in the Japanese Manga Style). She works with recycled materials and non-professional models with a strong personality. Her designs are made for ordinary people who have just a little bit of extraordinary, and wear them only with a certain kind of attitude.

The performance took place on the small stage of OT301. It's an alternative cultural space in Amsterdam.

Lighting technician: Damien Castel, a lighting technician who works at Paradiso, one of the greatest clubs in Amsterdam . Performance was shot in special lights and in primary colors.