For Christmas, my friend, Cricket, bought me a copy of The Book of Imaginary Beings by Jorge Borges; it has become a mainstay in our household, entertaining and inspiring me, while also enthralling my six year old daughter, Bikini Bird. She is amazed by the pictures, and constantly asks me to read aloud from it, even though the vocabulary is often above her head.
I actually started googling about the book this morning because I wanted to draft a post focusing on a particular quote regarding talking with things that have no voice, but then I stumbled on something magnificent! Something that I cannot wait to talk about! And so I will have to discuss things that have no voice on another day and we’ll all thrill and clap over this awesome find instead!
The Chimera
In order to fully explain my reaction to this project, I should first reveal that I have a long-standing fear of masks. One might even call it a phobia. I get so unnerved by masks that I once ended up leaving a restaurant without ordering because they had masks everywhere on the walls, peering down me with their empty, hollow eyes, scaring the bejeebus out of my poor, scaredy-cat soul! So, the fact that I utterly love Kest Schwartzman’s project represents not only just appropriate admiration, but a conquering (to a degree) of an unreasonable fear. I’m not saying that I wouldn’t still freak out if Kest Schwartzman showed up in my living room wearing these masks, because I very well might, but it’s a plus that I’m very excited and inspired by looking at these photos, rather than just horrified.
Lunar Hare
As I looked through the pages, I was wowed by the detail and thought given to each piece. I was impressed by the quality of the materials used. I thought that there could be few things inspired by The Book of Imaginary Beings as awesome as this particular project. The beings only exist inside our minds as a reflection of ourselves and the masks allow for a person to take on that internal monster, wear it around for awhile. There’s something magical about that, something spiritual, and goes above and beyond the masks themselves. It’s a means of channeling that creature’s energy. It reminds me of rituals that I’ve never witnessed, ancient mysteries that I’ve never known. Looking at the pictures, I imagine that if one were to wear the mask the person inside might leave for awhile, replaced by the monster/creature for a short time.
Perhaps this is why I’ve always feared masks anyway? I tend to see them as magical things that can override the person within.
The Elephant That Foretold Buddha
More about the book itself in later posts. For now, I encourage you to start at the beginning of Kest Schwartzman’s blog and admire her work. I see that she’s got a kickstarter project associated with it, and a donate button. If you feel inspired by her work, or wish to support it, definitely click on that button.
Beautiful work, Kest Schwartzman! Thank you for sharing it with the world!
How do you feel about masks? What do you make of the work that this book has inspired? Are imaginary animals of interest to you? Do you wish you could have one of these masks and be a centaur for awhile?
Leta Blake 
Wow, great masks! I’ve never really given masks much thought one way or the other. I suppose I like them, although I’m not a big costume person. I’m usually too lazy and ambivalent to do anything for Halloween, for example. As a kid, of course, but as an adult I find myself not really caring much.
I do have an interest in chimeras, of course. 😉
One of my earlier memories is from when I was six, and I was spending the night with my best friend at the time. She went into her closet to get ready for bed, and came out with a mask on, and she scared me to death by walking very slowly at me, with this terribly mean expression in her eyes, which was all that I could see of her face, and then leaping on me. I remember wondering if she’d been…taken over somehow. If she was still in there. And since that time, masks have been scary and kind of magical to me.
I am incredibly meh about Halloween. Maybe this has something to do with it? Even now, I don’t like not being able to see faces. I don’t mind half-masks so much, but full-masks, especially, freak me out a lot. 🙂
Yay for chimeras! 😀
Interesting masks! In general, I find them a bit creepy too, but then, that’s the point of a lot of them! However, I do appreciate the history and stories behind something like Venetian masks.
Ah, yay! Someone else who finds them creepy! I am not alone! 🙂 Yes, I think it is the effort, artistic and mental, that have gone into these masks that I appreciate so much. I don’t know very much about the history of Venetian masks, but now you’ve made me curious! Wikipedia, here I come!
I love masks, and have a teeny tiny collection of four, only two of which are big enough to put on. Masks seem to me to be an easy way to become somebody else for a short period of time, with that period of time being utterly controllable by the wearer. That said, I have never put my masks on.
You have spoken of “The Book of Imaginary Beings” before. I would love to look at it, but am afraid that if I bought it, I wouldn’t give it the time and attention it deserves. njs
“an easy way to become somebody else for a short period of time, with that period of time being utterly controllable by the wearer.”
I spoke above to Keira about a memory I have from childhood. I’ll c/p it here for you.
One of my earlier memories is from when I was six, and I was spending the night with my best friend at the time. She went into her closet to get ready for bed, and came out with a mask on, and she scared me to death by walking very slowly at me, with this terribly mean expression in her eyes, which was all that I could see of her face, and then leaping on me. I remember wondering if she’d been…taken over somehow. If she was still in there. And since that time, masks have been scary and kind of magical to me.
I think, seeing your quote above, that the lack of control for me, as an observer, is what bothers me the most. I can’t take the mask off the other person – well, maybe I could, but it would be seen as a party-pooper move at best and an act of aggression at worst. And I’m left to deal with my feelings of discomfort with no certainty about when those feelings will end.
I think I’m pretty good at reading most people’s physical energy – in person. Not so much online, and with some people, I’m always crap, even in person. But – for most people, I’m very good at taking in subtle changes in expression and vibe, and I think that masks close off part of the person I’m observing in a way that interferes with my ability to truly read them, or connect with them, and then they feel alien and scary to me.
I think. Hmm. Maybe I need to give more thought to my mask phobia.
Oh, and Nancy, in TMI, the book is a perfect toilet book. If you kept it handy for those special trips, then you’d give it plenty of attention. I promise.
Hey, Kest Schwartzman here- I know it’s a little weird commenting on a blog post written about oneself, but thank you!
Hi! Your work is so very inspiring and beautiful. I’m so thrilled that I ran across it. Also, *high five* to a fellow Southern girl. Thanks for dropping by! I hope you got some traffic from the post. Keep up the wonderful work! 🙂
I like masks…in theory. I’ve never enjoyed wearing them. I find them constricting (although I’m a little interested in trying out the Elephant that Foretold Buddha one above – that just looks fun). But they can really complete a costume.
Suzanne, you know, I’ve never worn masks too often, but I tried to wear one over my mouth and nose the other day for health reasons and nearly had an attack of claustrophobia. (Me and my phobias! Ha!) So, yes, I see what you mean about too constricting. I do prefer the half-mask over the eyes to all the others.
Oh, yes, the Elephant that Foretold Buddha mask is just triumphantly good, isn’t it?
With these particular masks in mind, your phobia is completely reasonable – they are pretty mad. As far as masks go, I think the Venetian ones are hard to beat, and they not so nightmarish.
They are mad, aren’t they? In the best way! 🙂 As for my phobia, it’s been a near lifelong thing, and I have actually gotten creeped out by Venetian masks, too, as lovely as they are. Thanks for the comment! I enjoyed hearing from you!
The masks you showed are really awesome! And I think it’s great you even got a comment by the creator herself! As a kid, I loved Halloween. I remember my mom telling me about something I did when I was really little, maybe 3 or 4 years old. My mom & our next-door neighbour were having coffee sometime after Halloween. I apparently got into the costume box and came out looking like a little Castro. I sat on a stool in the living room and just stared at them, while they both nearly died from laughter! Although I’m not all that into costumes as an adult, I do appreciate the artistry that went into Kest’s masks. 🙂
Ha! Yes, I was quite chuffed to get a message from the masks’ creator! 🙂 She was very gracious and I was thrilled to hear that she enjoyed the post.
A little Castro! 🙂 Ha! That reminds me of when my daughter was around that same age and she had just watched The Sound of Music and she wanted us to pretend to be Nazis. I said, “Honey, no, that’s one thing we simply can’t pretend to be.” 🙂
Thanks for the comments today! 🙂
I can see the problems with pretending to be Nazis! Funny the things kids get in their heads. You’d think she’d want to dress up as one of the girls in the movie! They were so cute!
If you’re interested in seeing a picture of me in that costume, I included it in ‘Changes’, my post for Feb. 22. 🙂
Haha! Yes, pretending to be a Nazi is just not up there on the kind of thing that parents really want to allow their children to do. Prince Harry learned that lesson a bit late, imo. 😉 I’ll have to check out that pic!